The World Konkani Centre in Shaktinagar, Mangaluru, is set to host the two-day Vishwa Konkani Samaroh 2026 on May 17 and 18. The event will bring together writers, scholars, artists, and language enthusiasts from Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, and Kerala.
Event Details and Inauguration
World Konkani Centre president CA Nandagopal Shenoy announced on Friday that the festival, organized in association with the Kendra Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, will feature literary discussions, folk presentations, memorial events, and cultural performances. The inaugural ceremony is scheduled for May 17, with Goa-based arts and culture patron and education expert Sulakshana Sawant inaugurating the festival. The programme will commence with a Kudubi folk dance and instrumental music. Melvyn Rodrigues, coordinator of the Konkani Advisory Board of the Kendra Sahitya Akademi, will preside over the event, while Dr. Kiran Budkule, vice-president of the centre, will deliver the keynote address.
Literary Sessions and Memorial Programme
Literary sessions on the first day will begin with a discussion on balanced development among Konkani literary genres, chaired by writer Gokuldas Prabhu. Professors Prakash Vajrakar and B Devadas Pai will speak on literary genres that require special attention. From noon, a session on key aspects of literary analysis will be chaired by Kendra Sahitya Akademi awardee HM Pernal, with presentations by Hanumant C Chopdekar. In the afternoon, Kavita Trust will organize a birth centenary memorial programme for poet PG Kamath, featuring a keynote address by HM Pernal and poetry recitations by Smitha Shenoy, MR Kamath, Dr. Venkatesh Nayak, and Ninisha Monteiro.
Day Two: Folk Sessions and Closing Ceremony
On May 18, the festival will begin with folk sessions chaired by philanthropist and founder of Michael D'Souza Vision Konkani (MDVK) Michael D'Souza, and inaugurated by Prakash S Parienkar, vice-dean (research) at Goa University. The day's schedule includes nano-story presentations, a discussion on Yakshagana and the Konkani community, and folk-song reading and singing sessions representing several communities. The closing ceremony will feature high court additional solicitor general K Aravind Kamath as chief guest, followed by a talk by senior advocate K Jagadish Kamath on constitutional opportunities for linguistic minorities.
