Shillong, May 6: Meghalaya is set to take its growing literary and cultural footprint to the national capital with the Department of Tourism organising the Shillong Literary Festival 2026 – New Delhi Prelude at Bikaner House on May 8 and 9.
Positioned as a curtain-raiser to the main Shillong Literary Festival, the two-day event will bring together prominent writers, filmmakers, artists, scholars and public intellectuals for discussions on literature, identity, ecology, cinema, food and culture, while showcasing the creative landscape of the Northeast.
Launched in 2021 by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma along with former Japanese Ambassador Satoshi Suzuki, the Shillong Literary Festival has emerged as one of the Northeast’s leading cultural platforms, drawing national and international voices into conversations around art, society and storytelling.
This year’s New Delhi prelude will feature noted personalities including Naseeruddin Shah, Shobhaa De, Maharani Priyadarshini Raje Scindia, Sanjoy Hazarika, Pulitzer Prize winner Suparna Sharma, filmmaker Dominic Sangma, director Pradip Kurbah and editor Patricia Mukhim, among others.
A key highlight of the event will be a conversation between Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma and journalist Shekhar Gupta on the opening day.
Among the featured sessions are The Elephant and the Tragopan, where Naseeruddin Shah will read from Vikram Seth’s Beastly Tales From Here and There; Shillong On A Plate, exploring Northeast cuisine and Shillong’s evolving food culture; and Once Upon a Time At A Literature Festival, where Namita Gokhale, Shobhaa De and Sanjoy Hazarika will discuss the role of literary festivals in shaping public discourse.
The event will also feature live performances by artistes under the Chief Minister’s Meghalaya Grassroots Music Programme (CM-MGMP).
Officials said the New Delhi prelude is part of Meghalaya’s broader strategy of using festivals, arts and experiential tourism to boost cultural diplomacy, youth engagement and economic activity while positioning the state as a hub for creative industries.
The initiative is also aimed at expanding the Shillong Literary Festival’s national reach and strengthening Meghalaya’s identity as a destination for literature, culture and ideas.
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