Bengaluru: Samajamukhi Prakashana proudly announces the Samajamukhi Sahitya Sammelana (Samajamukhi Literary Festival), to be held in Bengaluru on 8–9 November 2025 (Saturday and Sunday) at the Scouts and Guides Premises, Palace Road. This two-day conference seeks to create a serious and independent forum for Kannada literature, dedicated to dialogue, critique, and inspiration. Unlike politicised conferences or commercial lit-fests, the Sammelana will restore the dignity and critical spirit of literary gatherings.

For over a decade, Samajamukhi Prakashana and its associated initiatives—Samajamukhi Kannada Monthly, Nadedu Nodu Karnataka programme, Samajamukhi Ranga Balaga, Karnataka Moodalapaya Yakshagana Parishat, youth-focused Vicharakranti workshops, Satyameva Jayate camps, annual short story and essay competitions, publications, and dialogues—have nurtured a culture of reflection and intellectual engagement across Karnataka. The Sammelana is a natural extension of these efforts, envisioned as a space for encounter, inquiry, critique, and renewal in Kannada literature.

The festival aims to provide a serious platform for writers, critics, students, and readers to engage with the challenges of contemporary Kannada literature. It will bring together senior and younger writers in dialogue across generations, revisiting the role of literature in shaping Karnataka’s cultural and intellectual life while charting new directions for the future. Moving away from politicised, extravagant, or commercialised literary gatherings, the Sammelana seeks to create a thoughtful and inspiring event that balances creativity with critical reflection.

Programme highlights include plenary sessions with eminent Kannada writers and thinkers, alongside four parallel forums hosting panel discussions, workshops, thematic presentations, and youth training. One dedicated English-language forum will feature voices from within and beyond Karnataka, while other sessions will explore creative, critical, classical, non-Kannada, and interdisciplinary themes. Workshops will nurture emerging writers in both craft and critical awareness, with equal emphasis on literature as an art form and as a vehicle of social thought.

Participation is open to all writers, readers, students, and literature enthusiasts. A nominal registration fee of ₹300 will cover meals, refreshments, and participation for two days. Travel and accommodation will be provided for invited dignitaries and guests from outside Bengaluru, while students and teachers of Kannada literature will receive facilitative support to attend.

The Sammelana will be organised entirely through voluntary contributions from well-wishers who believe in the dignity and future of Kannada literature. The projected cost of ₹25 lakh will be met without government funding, demonstrating how community solidarity and intellectual commitment can sustain cultural initiatives.

Conventional literary conferences have increasingly drifted into politicised spectacles or commercialised shows. At such a moment, a gathering that prioritises creativity, critical thinking, and intellectual rigour is not only timely but essential. The Samajamukhi Sahitya Sammelana seeks to be both a mirror and a lamp—reflecting the present state of Kannada literature while illuminating possible futures for Kannada, Karnataka, and its people.