Kozhikode in Kerala became India’s first UNESCO ‘City of Literature

Kozhikode in Kerala became India’s first UNESCO ‘City of Literature’.
On June 23, Kozhikode in northern Kerala, famous for its rich cultural heritage, was officially declared India’s first UNESCO ‘City of Literature’.
In October 2023, Kozhikode was ranked in the ‘Literature’ category of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN).
The efficient functioning of the Kozhikode City Corporation played a major role in it bagging the ‘City of Literature’ tag from UNESCO, beating cities with rich cultural history like Kolkata.
Gwalior and Kozhikode from India are among the 55 new cities that have joined UCCN.
Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh has made it to the prestigious list in the ‘Music’ category, while Kozhikode has found a place in the ‘Literature’ category.
The state government also announced that from next year, June 23 will be celebrated as ‘City of Literature’ day for Kozhikode, known for great literary figures like late S K Pottakkad and Vaikom Muhammad Basheer.
Special awards in six categories will be announced on this day.
Under the theme ‘Bringing Youth to the Table for the Next Decade’, the newly-designated creative cities are invited to participate in the 2024 UCCN Annual Conference (July 1-5, 2024) in Braga, Portugal.