The eighth edition of the two-day Mangalore Lit Fest begins at T.M.A. Pai International Convention Centre.
Organised by the Bharat Foundation, the 2026 edition of the festival will confer its special annual award to Meenakshi Jain — a renowned historian, Member of Rajya Sabha and Padma Shri awardee — on the inaugural day.
The festival will host over 65 prominent thinkers, including Vikram Sood, former Chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) — India’s foreign intelligence agency, Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, India’s first female Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti, former Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations. A variety of sessions will be part of the festival. Vikram Sood and Sriparna Pathak will discuss ‘Global Power Games’, a session on India’s neighbourhood relations, and T.S. Tirumurti, Sreeram Chaulia and Vijit Kanahalli will explore ‘Indian Thought in a Globalised World’.
Scholar Shatavadhani R. Ganesh and writer Ajakkala Girish Bhat will speak on the topic of ‘The Search for Values through Literature.’ Representing the media world, senior journalists Smita Prakash, Padmaja Joshi and Surabhi Hodigere will discuss how digital news is shaping the public sphere. Sunil Kulakarni, a trustee of the foundation, told press persons on January 8, that the festival aims to promote the ‘Idea of Bharat’ and will include an interactive session with Ms. Jain after the inaugural session. A dedicated session titled ‘Literature Inspired by Bhyrappa’ will pay tribute to legendary novelist S.L. Bhyrappa, a Padma Bhushan awardee, led by Shatavadhani R. Ganesh and G.B. Harisha. P. Sheshadri, Malavika Avinash and Pallavi Rao Karanth will spea during a session titled ‘Film and Thought’.
Popular actress Ranjani Raghavan, Poornima Suresh (of Su From So fame) and author Seema Burude will participate in a session on ‘Imagination, Narrative and Camera.’
The festival will also feature a traditional puppetry (Bombeyata) performance by Ujjwala Krishnaraj, which will be the key attraction on the valedictory day, he said.
Entry is free to all. The festival will also feature a book exhibition and sale, Mr. Kulakarni said.
