Kochi: The second edition of the International Calligraphy Festival of Kerala (ICFK) has officially begun in Kochi, running from October 2 to 5. Organised by the Kerala Lalitha Kala Academy and the Thiruvananthapuram-based Kachatathapa Foundation, which is led by renowned calligraphy artist Narayana Bhattathiri, the festival takes place at the Durbar Hall.

The festival features prominent calligraphers from around the world and India, including famous Hebrew calligrapher Michel D'Anastasio, Vietnamese calligrapher Dang Hoc, and Kim Jin-Young, the vice president of the Asian Calligraphy Association. Indian calligraphy icon Achyut Palav and Udaya Kumar, the designer of the Indian Rupee symbol, are also participating.

The festival will be inaugurated on Wednesday at 6:45 pm by Minister Saji Cherian, with MLA T. J. Vinod presiding over the ceremony. MP Hibi Eden will inaugurate the International Calligraphy Exhibition, and cartoonist EP Unni will be the chief guest. Other speakers include Manoj K Das, Editor of Mathrubhumi Daily and Digital, Shraddha Subramanian from the Department of Art and Design at Jain SoDMCA, and calligrapher Akshaya Tobrey.

In addition to workshops and live demonstrations, attendees can look forward to an international calligraphy exhibition. The festival will also feature a concert by Carnatic musician T. M. Krishna and a dance performance by Sreedevi N. Nampoothiry, along with various related events.

Registration for the festival is available through the website: kachatathapa.com.