The DC Kizhakemuri foundation and the Kerala Literature Festival are delighted to announce a new writers and artists’ residency in Vagamon - a space crafted exclusively for writers and artists to hone their creative skills.
Kerala, a slice of tropical paradise has attracted trade, religion, and cultures from all over the world. Its prolific coastlines, languid backwaters, exuberant tea gardens, and the smell of fresh-grown spices wafting in the air create a sense of belongingness for all those who seek. Literacy is the backbone of Kerala and is considered to be an essential facet of its development. Kerala became the first state in January 2016 to have achieved 100 % primary education through Athulyam, its literacy program. The umpteen number of libraries in the state indicates a vibrant reading culture among the public. It is home to the majority of wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, and forests.
Kerala’s serenity intensifies when one moves away from the hustles of city life, and journeys uphill through the winding roads, watching the scenic beauty surrounded by meadows, gorgeous pine forests, stunning landscapes, and bright green hills. Known to many as Paradise, Vagamon is a hill station situated about 100 km away from the Kochi International airport. It is neatly tucked in between three hills called Thangal, Murugan, and Kurisumala, representing cultural and religious harmony that is embraced by the land. It also serves as a major educational hub as well as an early source of Dairy farms started by Scottish missionaries. Vagamon is one of the most loved places in Kerala.
Nestled among beautiful rolling hills and the verdant countryside of Vagamon, the residency will lodge an intimate and select group of writers from India and abroad, for a duration of 4- 8 weeks beginning next year post-Covid restrictions. It is a space that will provide a perfect environment for writers and artists to pursue their writing and art in solitude, and also engage in stimulating ideas and discussion with like-minded residents, in a picture-perfect setting.
DC Books is the co-promoter and one of the top ten literary publishers of India. It has played a crucial role in inculcating reading and providing opportunities to budding writers through various programs; The Vagamon Residency is one such program devised by DC Books. KLF and the DC Kizhakemuri Foundation will sponsor the accommodation and all incidental costs for the writers and artists while they are at the Residency. The residency will be open to those who are previously published or in the undertaking to debut their works. The submission process for applying to the Vagamon Residency program will begin in the month of November 2021, along with the website for the Residency.
The program was formally inaugurated by Dr. Shashi Tharoor in New Delhi in December 2020, as part of the curtain-raiser for the Kerala Literature Festival last year. KLF, as its many followers will attest to, has been conceived as a unique multilingual platform for books and ideas, meant for people who value art, aesthetics, and literature to the core. The Kerala Literature Festival is run by the DC Kizhakemuri Foundation, and the team includes Ravi Deecee, Chief Facilitator, K Satchidanandan, Festival Director, and Hemali Sodhi, Festival Advisor.