 Kochi was home to some of the most influential figures in Malayalam literature, including Changampuzha Krishna Pillai, Kesari Balakrishna Pillai, G. Sankara Kurup, and Vyloppilli Sreedhara Menon.Prominent social reformers such as Sahodaran Ayyappan and Pandit Karuppan also are from Kochi.The Kochi International Book Festival is an annual event.