Vishwas Patil appointed president of 99th All India Marathi Literary Meet

Mumbai, Sept 14 (PTI) Noted author and former bureaucrat Vishwas Patil, known for his acclaimed historical novel "Panipat", has been appointed president of the 99th All India Marathi Literary Meet to be held in Satara in January 2026.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal in Pune on Sunday.

The name of Patil, who was among the front-runners, was formally approved after writer Bhalchandra Nemade declined the post earlier. Other names discussed included Ranganath Pathare, chairman of the committee for conferring classical language status to Marathi, and science writer Bal Phondke.

Announcing the appointment, Sahitya Mahamandal president Milind Joshi said the meet would remain essentially a literary platform and not turn into a political stage, though leaders from various parties would be invited on different days.

The 99th literary meet will be held at Satara's Shahu Stadium from January 1 to 4. The four-day event will feature a procession of books, a large exhibition, poetry readings, workshops, children's programmes, and literary discussions.

For the first time, all former presidents of the literary meet, recipients of the Sahitya Akademi award, and awardees of the Mahamandal's literary honours will be invited. Patil, a Sahitya Akademi awardee, has a rich literary legacy. His works include Panipat and Zadazadati, among others. PTI ND NSK