International writers include Jung Chang, Rukmini Nair, Germaine Greer, K. Satchidanandan, Simon Armitage, Anita Nair and many other compelling and entertaining speakers. The first Hay Festival in Kerala in 2010 was a fantastically successful event and the organisers are looking forward to the 2011 festival of ideas, debate, music and conversation. The festival is held at the Kanakakunnu Palace, the summer retreat of the erstwhile royal family of Travancore, and witnesses more than 30 events over three action-packed days and evenings. The Palace, with its stunning chandeliers, impressive collection of royal furniture and architectural marvels reminiscent of its colonial heritage, provides a perfect setting for the event. Over the past decade, the Hay Festival, with its base in a small book town on the borders between England and Wales, has become a global not-for-profit institution that runs festivals and projects worldwide.