Shillong Literary Festival to showcase Meghalaya's cultural and literary spirit in Delhi

Shillong, May 6 The Department of Tourism, Government of Meghalaya, will organise the Shillong Literary Festival 2026 – New Delhi Prelude on May 8 and 9 at Bikaner House in the national capital, officials said on Wednesday.

The two-day prelude event is being positioned as a curtain-raiser to the main Shillong Literary Festival and aims to celebrate literature, culture, dialogue and creative exchange while showcasing Meghalaya’s growing prominence as a cultural and creative hub.

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 major literary and intellectual platforms, bringing together writers, scholars, filmmakers, poets and thinkers from across India and abroad.

Officials said the New Delhi edition will feature discussions on literature, ecology, identity, governance, food, cinema, translation and indigenous traditions, with a special focus on the Northeast and Meghalaya’s Khasi and Garo cultural heritage.

The event will host an array of prominent speakers and cultural personalities, including Naseeruddin Shah, Shobhaa De, Maharani Priyadarshini Raje Scindia, Sanjoy Hazarika, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Suparna Sharma, filmmaker Dominic Sangma, director Pradip Kurbah and editor Patricia Mukhim, among others.

A key highlight of the programme will be a conversation between Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma and journalist Shekhar Gupta on the opening day.

Other sessions include “The Elephant and the Tragopan”, where Naseeruddin Shah will read from Beastly Tales from Here and There by Vikram Seth, and “Shillong On A Plate”, a discussion exploring the flavours and culinary traditions of the Northeast.

Another session, “Once Upon a Time At A Literature Festival”, will feature Namita Gokhale, Shobhaa De and Sanjoy Hazarika discussing the role of literary festivals as public forums for dialogue and creative engagement.

Visitors will also witness live performances by artists supported under the Chief Minister’s Meghalaya Grassroots Music Programme (CM-MGMP).

Officials said Meghalaya has increasingly promoted festivals, experiential tourism and cultural initiatives over the past few years to strengthen tourism, create economic opportunities for youth and position the state as a destination for arts and ideas.

They added that the New Delhi Prelude seeks to expand the festival’s national outreach while reinforcing Meghalaya’s vision of culture-led tourism and a thriving creative economy driven by literature, music, arts and cultural diplomacy.

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