Pune: Renowned author Vishwas Patil was unanimously elected as the president of the 99th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan (All India Marathi Literary Meet) on Sunday.The programme, scheduled to take place in Satara from Jan 1 to 4, 2026, has been organised by the Shahupuri branch of the Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad and the Mavala Foundation.“Vishwas Patil’s name was a top recommendation from organisations affiliated with the federation. As the Sammelan is being hosted by the Shahupuri branch of the Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad, the Pune-based parent body did not propose any names for the presidency. Patil’s selection was a unanimous decision, based on his significant contributions to enriching Marathi literature,” said Milind Joshi, president of Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal.Patil, one of the popular writers in Marathi, is best known for his book titled Panipat, which talks about the historical battle between the Maratha Empire and Ahmad Shah Abdali, fought in Panipat.The meeting also approved the programme schedule. As per the timetable published by the organisers, the grand procession of books (Granth Dindi) will take place on the eve of the inauguration. On the same day, the book exhibition, the poets’ gathering (Kavi Katta), and the children’s fest (Anand Melava) will be inaugurated.The main event will be held on Jan 1. The book exhibition will be open to the public for all four days.“Focus will be on discussions and seminars over long speeches to allow for deeper exploration of topics,” stated a press release issued by the organisers.The literary meet will include a special poets’ meet of invited poets, discussions on contemporary and popular books, interviews with renowned authors, and conversations with prominent novelists.For the first time, all former presidents of the Sammelan, authors who received the Saraswati Samman award, selected Sahitya Akademi award winners, and former presidents of the Sahitya Mahamandal will be invited for the event.This will be the fourth time the literary meet will be held in Satara.The planned venue, Chhatrapati Shahunagar stadium, is the same location where the 66th Sammelan was held back in 1993.
