The 15th Malayalam Festival of the Malayalam Language Promotion Group was celebrated with a vibrant two-day programme of literature, culture and learning at Chembur Adarsha Vidyalaya on August 15 and 16, 2026. The festival featured a book fair, poetry reading, storytelling, reading experiences, cultural programmes and a seminar on book publishing.
Renowned writer P. Surendran, who inaugurated the Malayalam Festival, highlighted the literary brilliance of O. V. Vijayan and the enduring significance of Khasakkinte Itihasam. Describing Vijayan as a writer who brought some of the most unusual and evocative words into Malayalam, Surendran observed that Khasak beautifully presents Sufi philosophy and profound visions of humanity.
Rajan Addressing the gathering
Drawing an analogy with migratory birds that shed a few feathers every time they visit a new country, Surendran said that every word and every piece of writing produced by a writer is similarly a shedding of feathers. He emphasised that if hatred and intolerance are removed from within, beauty will naturally emerge.
Renowned critic Saji Abraham, who attended the inaugural function as the special guest, appreciated the efforts of the Malayalam Language Promotion Group in promoting the mother tongue. He observed that learning a language merely for employment reduces a person to a machine, whereas language is essential to becoming fully human. He described language as “a great river of experiences.”
Felicitating Vellody Balachandran
K. Pavithran, Secretary of KPES, also addressed the gathering and extended his greetings.
Book Fair and Literary Honours
A major attraction of the festival was the book fair organised by Kairali Books, marking one of the significant Malayalam book exhibitions held in Mumbai after a long interval. The book fair was formally inaugurated by novelist Balakrishnan at 3 p.m. on August 15.
Novelist Balakrishnan
The inaugural function was presided over by Sandeep Varma, President of the Malayalam Language Promotion Group, while Secretary Reena Santosh welcomed the gathering. T. N. Hariharan, C. P. Krishnakumar, K. Pavithran, P. Surendran and O. Ashok Kumar of Kairali Books spoke on the occasion and extended their greetings.
Girija Valabhan
The Malayalam Language Promotion Group honoured Leela Sarkar, who has translated 115 works into Malayalam and is a recipient of both the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award and Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award.
Writers from Mumbai—Balakrishnan, Unni Variath, Girijavallabhan and Meghanathan—were also honoured for completing five decades of literary activity.
Meganathan
Leela Sarkar
Unni Variath
Poetry Reading
The poetry reading session that followed was moderated by G. Viswanathan. Poems were presented by C. P. Krishnakumar, Muraleedharan T. K., Santosh Pallasana, P. K. Muralikrishnan, Thulasi Maniyar, Sumesh P. S., Jyothilakshmi Nambiar, Mohanan K. V., Babu P. D., Suresh Nair, K. V. S. Nelluvai, Linod Varghese, Harindranath, Ambili Krishnakumar and Rajendran Kuttur.
Kathayarangu
The Kathayarangu session held on the morning of August 16 was moderated by Girija Vallabhan. Stories were presented by P. Viswanathan, Leena Nair, Jeeba Sreejith, Joy Guruvayoor, Thulasi Maniyar, Suresh Nair, Jyothilakshmi Nambiar, Linod Varghese, Manoj Mundayat, Sureshkumar Kottarakkara, Murali Vattenat, Sajini Surendran and Shilpa S.
Felicitating Leela Sarkar
Reading Experiences
The afternoon session on August 16 focused on the theme of reading experiences and was moderated by Kanakoor R. Suresh Kumar. Abhishek S., Sumesh P. S., Linod Varghese, Suresh Nair, Ajith Sankaran, Sajini Surendran, Leena Nair, Saji Thomas, Ramakrishnan Palakkad and Sandhya Paleri shared their experiences and reflections on various literary works.
Cultural Programmes and Felicitations
The festival also featured a variety of cultural programmes presented by members of the Malayalam Language Promotion Group representing different fields.
Former Deputy Municipal Commissioner Vellody Balachandran was honoured on the occasion.
Students who successfully completed the Malayalam Mission Neelakurinji examination in 2024 and 2025, as well as students who passed the SSC examination in 2026 with Malayalam as a subject, were also honoured with the cooperation of KPES.
Seminar on Book Publishing
A seminar titled “Book Publishing – When? How?” was held as part of the festival. K. Rajan presided over the session.
In his presidential address, Rajan stressed that protecting the language is the responsibility of every individual. He pointed out that when a language is destroyed, its culture is also destroyed.
O. Ashok Kumar, Managing Director of Kairali Books, provided guidance and practical information on book publishing and addressed various aspects of the process.
Rajan Nair, Treasurer of the Malayalam Language Promotion Group, proposed the vote of thanks.
The two-day festival concluded on a positive note, with the book fair attracting a large number of visitors and reaffirming the continuing interest in Malayalam literature among the Malayali community in Mumbai.
Anil Prakash and Pradeep Kumar moderated various sessions of the festival.
The 15th Malayalam Festival once again demonstrated the importance of preserving and promoting Malayalam language and literature while providing a vibrant platform for writers, readers, students and cultural enthusiasts in Mumbai.