‘Madurai Reads’ campaign marks prelude to book festival

Madurai MP Su. Venkatesan partat ‘Madurai Reads’ campaign on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: G. MOORTHY As a prelude to the upcoming Madurai Book Festival-2026, a reading awareness campaign titled ‘Madurai Reads” was held here on Wednesday..The event, conducted on the historic Ezhuthanikkara Street on South Masi Street, was presided over by Madurai MP Su. Venkatesan in the presence of Collector Nishanth Krishna and Deputy Mayor T. Nagarajan.Addressing the gathering, Mr. Venkatesan said that Madurai held the unique distinction of transforming the book fair into a massive people’s movement. The main book fair would be held at Tamukkam Grounds from November 13 to November 23, 2026.Pointing to the cultural significance of launching the preliminary events on Ezhuthanikkara Street, he said: “Just as Sannithi Street is special to spiritual devotees, Ezhuthanikkara Street holds a unique significance for literary enthusiasts.”He elaborated on the street’s rich history, saying that centuries before the advent of the printing press, literary works were painstakingly hand-copied onto palm-leaf manuscripts by scribes — known as ezhuthanikkarargal —who once inhabited the neighbourhood. Hence, initiating the book fair proceedings from a location with such a distinctive heritage was a matter of immense pride for the nation.Calling upon the public to ensure that this year’s edition surpassed previous milestones, Mr. Venkatesan urged every family to encourage students and youth to visit the fair. Bringing students to such events was not merely about purchase of books, but about exposing them to a vast literary landscape to cultivate a lifelong reading habit and positive outlook toward literature.He also acknowledged the vital role of the media in supporting the event, which would feature over 200 publishing houses, and asserted that the district administration had finalised all preparatory arrangements. Published - November 11, 2026 06:26 pm IST