18 Venues, 46 Seminars, 3,000 Delegates; Preparations Complete for Fifth International Congress on Kerala Studies

Thiruvananthapuram: The fifth International Congress on Kerala Studies will be held in the state capital on February 21 and 22, bringing together more than 3,000 delegates from across the country and abroad.

The two-day Congress will be organised across 18 venues, including AKG Hall, the halls at the AKG Study and Research Centre, Hasan Marikkar Hall, and various halls at University College. Besides the inaugural and valedictory sessions, the programme will include 46 thematic seminars and four symposiums.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the Congress at 10 am on February 21 at AKG Hall. The valedictory session on February 22 at 3 pm will be inaugurated by M. A. Baby, General Secretary of the CPI(M). CPI(M) State Secretary M. V. Govindan, CPI State Secretary Binoy Viswam, MP Jose K. Mani, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member A. Vijayaraghavan, ministers, Left MPs from Kerala, Planning Board Vice Chairman V.K. Ramachandran, Academic Committee Chairperson S. Ramachandran Pillai and Secretary Dr T.M. Thomas Isaac will attend the inaugural and closing sessions.

A 200-member reception committee, chaired by Minister V. Sivankutty, with MLA V. Joy as convenor, is coordinating the event. For the first time, registration has been conducted entirely online. Registered delegates will be provided accommodation, food and discussion documents, which will be distributed in four separate kits. The Congress will be held in accordance with green protocol guidelines.

Around 300 experts will lead discussions in the 46 thematic seminars, focusing on Kerala’s future policy direction. In the run-up to the Congress, subject-based seminars were held in various districts, with nearly 10,000 people taking part.

Participants in the panel discussions include noted economists C.P. Chandrasekhar, Venkitesh Athreya, Anita Rampal and K.M. Chandrasekhar; academics such as Dr. P.G. Shankappa, Dr. N.C. Narayanan, Dr. Gopinath Ravindran, Albert Thomas, Dr. Kana M. Suresh and Dr. C.T. Aravindakumar; industrialists Viju Jacob, Tony Thomas and Shruti Shibulal; media professionals Sasikumar, K.J. Jacob, Rajagopal and Dr. Arun Kumar; and sports personalities I.M. Vijayan and K.M. Beenamol, among several others from different fields.

The Congress continues a tradition that began in 1994 under the leadership of E. M. S. Namboodiripad. During the first Congress, he had directly written to thousands of experts seeking their views on Kerala’s development. Following that practice, the Chief Minister, who is also the Chief Patron of the Congress, wrote to 25,000 experts from various sectors inviting them to contribute. The response has been described as encouraging, and selected contributions will be compiled into a book to be distributed to delegates.

Launched in 1994, the Kerala Studies Congress has been held every five years, except in 2021 when it was postponed due to the Covid pandemic. Over the years, it has emerged as one of the country’s most participatory platforms for state-level policy discussions, bringing together experts and the wider public. Since its inception, its deliberations have played a role in shaping development policies under successive Left governments in Kerala.