KOZHIKODE: The ninth edition of the Kerala Literature Festival (KLF 2026) opened on Thursday at Kozhikode Beach, with former astronaut Sunita Williams inaugurating the four-day global literary gathering.

Addressing a packed audience, Williams described the festival as a rare meeting ground for “all the As — astronauts, authors, and artists,” likening the experience to space travel in spirit, if not in silence.

Williams, who recently announced her retirement after a distinguished 27-year career in space exploration, said the energy and diversity of the festival stood in sharp contrast to the solitude of space. Williams will participate in several sessions, including an interactive event for children titled “Once Upon a Time… In Space.”

At the ceremony, Works Minister P A Mohammed Riyas said a memorial dedicated to legendary writer Vaikom Muhammed Basheer would be opened in Beypore, the author’s hometown.

Tamil Nadu IT Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Olympian Ben Johnson, actors Prakash Rajand Bhavana, and writers K Satchidanandan, Paul Zacharia, and M Mukundan were among those who participated in the opening ceremony.

Actor Prakash Raj, during a discussion titled “Criminalising Dissent,” launched a strong critique of what he described as the growing suppression of democratic voices. He revealed he is currently facing 32 cases linked to his political positions.

KLF 2026 will host an array of internationally acclaimed voices, Nobel laureates Abdulrazak Gurnah and Abhijit Banerjee, Booker Prize winners Banu Mushtaq and Kiran Desai, historian Romila Thapar, MP Shashi Tharoor, novelist and columnist Shobhaa De, travel writer Pico Iyer, and tennis star Rohan Bopanna, prominent among them.

On Friday evening, globally renowned author Salman Rushdie will join the event online.