Kerala’s Kozhikode has been formally announced as India’s first UNESCO ‘City of Literature’ on June 23.
On this occasion the Kerala Government also announced that June 23 would be celebrated as ‘City of Literature Day’.
Key points
In October 2023, Kozhikode had earned a place in the ‘Literature’ category of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN).
As part of the event, Kerala Tourism Minister P A Mohammed Riyas unveiled the logo of the ‘City of Literature’ by UNESCO. Kozhikode is a city where there are over 500 libraries functioning, and has been the base of literary activities of legendary Malayalam writer M T Vasudevan Nair for several decades.
Gwalior and Kozhikode from India are among the 55 new cities which have joined the UCCN. Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh made it to the coveted list in the ‘Music’ category.
UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN)
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) was created in 2004 to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development.
With the latest additions, the UCCN now counts 350 cities in more than a hundred countries, representing seven creative fields: Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts and Music.
Kozhikode
Earlier, Kozhikode was known as the city of Zamorins. It was also known as Calicut during British rule.
The city served as the gateway to the coast for many foreigners, such as Persians, Arabs, Chinese, and eventually Europeans, centuries ago.
Indian cities in UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN)
Kozhikode: City of Literature
Gwalior: City of Music
Sri Nagar: Crafts and Folk Art
Hyderabad: City of Gastronomy
Mumbai: City of Film
Chennai: City of Music
Varanasi: City of Music
Jaipur: City of Crafts and Folk Art
