The Manipal Institute of Liberal Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (MILHS), a constituent unit of the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), an Institution of Eminence Deemed-to-be University, two day alèy Literature Festival 2026 at the MAHE Bengaluru campus.
Organised by the Department of Languages and Literary Studies, the two-day festival brought together acclaimed writers, publishers, artists, performers, academics and students to examine how literature can respond to social change, amplify marginalised voices and sustain hope in uncertain times.
Centred on the theme ‘Waves of Hope’, the festival featured Malayalam writer Benyamin, writer, publisher and activist Urvashi Butalia, writer Gogu Shyamala, author Keshava Guha, filmmaker Samarth Mahajan and several contemporary storytellers and cultural practitioners.
The festival opened with Benyamin, who spoke about hope, resilience and the role of reading in developing wisdom. Referring to Nikos Kazantzakis’ Zorba the Greek and Malika Oufkir’s Stolen Lives as works that inspired him, he also discussed how a real-life story shaped his novel Goat Days. “The true gift of reading is not information, but wisdom,” Benyamin said.
Urvashi Butalia led a masterclass on publishing, activism and the responsibility of creating space for marginalised voices. Drawing attention to the work of Muktabai Salve, Tarabai Shinde and Begum Rokeya, she said, “Knowledge is created on the ground, not just in our minds.”
Reflecting on the relationship between scientific inquiry and the literary imagination, Dr Madhu Veeraraghavan, Pro Vice Chancellor, MAHE Bengaluru, said, “Scientific literature and the literary arts cannot promise us an easy future. Together, they can help us understand what we face, imagine what might change, and find reasons to keep working for it. That is hope worth sharing.”
Speaking about the festival’s purpose, Dr Shilpa Kalyan, I/C Director, MILHS, said, “Through alèy, we at MILHS hope to create the space for dialogue, curiosity and a meaningful shift in perspectives.”
Panels held across the two days explored contemporary activism, graphic narratives and emerging forms of storytelling. The sessions featured Aleena Sabu, Bijal Vachharajani, Rahee Punyashloka, Suchi Govindarajan and Tuhin Bhowal, among others. The programme also included a conversation with Gogu Shyamala on feminist writing and an interactive session with Keshava Guha on the publishing industry.
Theatre and documentary cinema expanded the festival’s engagement beyond conventional literary formats. Koohoo: An Anthology on Rails brought a theatrical dimension to the programme, while a screening of Samarth Mahajan’s documentary Borderlands was followed by a discussion on narratives emerging from conflict zones.
The festival extended its literary engagement to younger learners through a fiction-writing workshop for students of the Parikrma Centre for Learning. Competitions and student-focused activities created opportunities for participants across age groups to engage with writing, storytelling and critical inquiry.
More than 100 students from institutions across Bengaluru participated in the two-day festival. Atta Galatta, Lalitha’s Book Nook and Manasa Publications were part of the festival’s bookstore and publishing showcase.
Through conversations, performances, workshops and screenings, alèy Literature Festival 2026 positioned literature as a vital space for confronting difficult realities, recovering overlooked perspectives and imagining possibilities for change.