Sahitya Akademi Spotlights India’s Intellectual Traditions at New Delhi World Book Fair 2026

The Face-to-Face programme featured Sri K. P. Ramanunni, eminent Malayalam writer and Sahitya Akademi Award-winner, who offered rare insights into his literary journey and creative process.

Sahitya Akademi organised a Face-to-Face interaction and a Panel Discussion on India’s Intellectual Traditions at the New Delhi World Book Fair 2026 on 15 January 2026 at Hall No. 2, Bharat Mandapam, drawing an engaged audience of students, teachers, writers and literature enthusiasts.

The session reflected Sahitya Akademi’s continued commitment to fostering dialogue between contemporary literary voices and India’s deep intellectual heritage, offering both personal reflection and scholarly exploration.

K. P. Ramanunni Shares Life, Literature and Inner Conflict

The Face-to-Face programme featured Sri K. P. Ramanunni, eminent Malayalam writer and Sahitya Akademi Award-winner, who offered rare insights into his literary journey and creative process.

Recalling his roots in Kozhikode, recently recognised by UNESCO as India’s first and only City of Literature, Ramanunni spoke about how the city’s intellectual and cultural milieu shaped his sensibilities as a writer.

During the session, he read excerpts from his acclaimed Malayalam short story ‘MTP’—the medical abbreviation for Medical Termination of Pregnancy—translated into English by Abu Bakar Kaba. Structured as a play in seven segments, the story captures the intense emotional and moral drama surrounding abortion, drawing deeply from the author’s own lived experiences.

Reflecting candidly on his formative years, Ramanunni revealed that as a teenager he was simultaneously drawn to spiritual texts and communist literature, a tension that led to profound inner conflict and even psychiatric consultation. While the treatment offered no resolution, he said, writing became his refuge, allowing him to transform personal turmoil into creative expression.

Panel Explores India’s Plural Intellectual Heritage

The Face-to-Face session was followed by a Panel Discussion on India’s Intellectual Traditions, featuring Prof. Rawail Singh, Prof. Harekrishna Satapathy and Prof. Basavaraj Kalgudi.

Prof. Rawail Singh traced Punjab’s intellectual lineage, beginning with Takshashila, one of the world’s earliest centres of learning, and moving through the influences of Nath Yogis, Sufi traditions and Sikh philosophy, highlighting the region’s plural and evolving thought systems.

Prof. Harekrishna Satapathy offered a comparative perspective on ancient and modern education systems, invoking Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh as Aadigurus, and enriched his remarks by reciting a Vedic shloka, underscoring the spiritual foundations of Indian knowledge traditions.

Prof. Basavaraj Kalgudi focused on peripheral knowledge systems, categorising them into oral and written traditions, and emphasised the often-overlooked contributions of tribal and agrarian wisdom in shaping ancient Indian thought.

Engaged Audience, Meaningful Dialogue

Both sessions witnessed active audience participation and thoughtful discussion, reflecting sustained interest in literature, philosophy and India’s intellectual legacy.

The programme concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr Sandeep Kaur, Assistant Editor, Sahitya Akademi, who acknowledged the speakers, panellists and participants for contributing to a rich and stimulating exchange of ideas.