Kerala’s cities deserve UNESCO World Book Capital title

In 1945, the year when the UN was formed, the library movement was started in Kerala. The opening of the National Book Stall is also on that occasion. Now, Kerala will be the only State in the country to have up to eight libraries in each panchayat and 8,000 reading rooms across the State. There are about 30 small and medium literature festivals in Kerala. Some of the festivals are popularly known by the name of the place itself, like Wayanad, Peruvanam, Payyannur, and Kadathanad. Even during the era of e-reading, the number of physical bookshops has been increasing in Kerala. Kerala was instrumental in pioneering the first paperback book revolution in the country, a literary revolution based on the principle of books for the masses. In 1956, as many as 10,000 copies of Chemmeen penned by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai were made available to the public at a mere ₹1.25 per book, marking the start of the paperback revolution in Kerala.