Nearly a year after its due date, Kannada Sahitya Sammelana still not held
The 88th Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana, a major annual literary event in Karnataka, remains delayed nearly a year past its expected date. The postponement is primarily attributed to a legal dispute involving the former president of the Kannada Sahitya Parishath and the subsequent appointment of an administrator.
Why it matters
As a flagship cultural event, the delay reflects administrative instability within the Kannada Sahitya Parishath and highlights the impact of political and legal gridlock on state-sponsored cultural preservation.
Bengaluru One of the State’s flagship annual events — Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana — is long overdue, though the selection of president for the 88th edition was done about a year and a half ago. However, the event has not been held since 2024. The absence of a president for the Kannada Sahitya Parishath (KSP), the body that holds the sammelana, and a pending case in court are primary reasons for the delay. The last sammelana was held in December 2024 at Mandya. The KSP had announced that it would hold the 88th sammelana at Ballari in December 2025. The then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had also earmarked a grant of ₹10 crore in the 2025-26 Budget. A meeting of the executive committee of KSP had chosen Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq to preside over the Ballari sammelana.
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