New Delhi, May 8: The Shillong Literary Festival 2026 – New Delhi Prelude opened on Friday at Bikaner House with participation from leading personalities from literature, cinema, journalism, governance and the creative arts.
Organised by the Department of Tourism, Government of Meghalaya, the two-day event serves as a prelude to the sixth edition of the Shillong Literary Festival, which is scheduled to be held from November 12 to 14, 2026 at Ward’s Lake in Shillong during the Cherry Blossom season.
The festival aims to promote Meghalaya’s literary traditions and cultural identity while strengthening culture-led tourism and positioning the state as a growing hub for arts, music, literature and creative industries.
One of the major highlights of the opening day was a conversation between Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma and senior journalist Shekhar Gupta on leadership, governance, youth aspirations, culture and the evolving identity of the Northeast.
During the discussion, the Chief Minister spoke about Meghalaya’s focus on developing the creative economy and organising calendar-based cultural events to attract visitors throughout the year. “We started off small. Now we are seeing it grow. It has become a calendar event; and more importantly it is known throughout the country,” Sangma said while referring to the Shillong Literary Festival. He further expressed hope that the festival would grow into a major national and global event in the years ahead.
Shekhar Gupta praised the festival and described the setting, environment and audience quality at the Shillong Literary Festival as unmatched compared to other literary festivals he had attended.
Commissioner and Secretary of the Tourism Department Dr. Vijay Kumar D., in his welcome address, said the Shillong Literary Festival has become a platform celebrating the stories, literature, cinema and music of Meghalaya and the Northeast.
The inaugural sessions also featured discussions on cinema from the Northeast, with filmmakers Dominic Sangma and Pradip Kurbah joining Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Suparna Sharma to discuss opportunities and challenges for regional cinema. The speakers also praised “Hello Meghalaya” as a supportive OTT platform for independent filmmakers from the region.
The evening concluded with a special literary performance by veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah, who presented readings from Beastly Tales from Here and There by Vikram Seth along with selected works of James Thurber.
The festival also celebrated Khasi and Garo literary heritage through readings from classic works by Prof. Streamlet Dkhar and Dr. Crystal Cornelious D. Marak, highlighting the linguistic and cultural traditions of the region.
Day two of the festival will feature sessions on Northeast literature, food, ecology, translation and identity with speakers including Shobhaa De, Priyadarshini Raje Scindia, Sanjoy Hazarika, Namita Gokhale and Patricia Mukhim.
