TISS Literature Fest to explore the changing worlds of youth and storytelling

The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) will host the TISS Literature Festival 2026 on October 16 and 17 at its main campus. The two-day event, titled “Youth and Literature: Time & Memories”, was organised as a part of the TISS Navati celebrations to mark the 90 years of the establishment of the institute. 

The literature festival has been conceptualised under the leadership of the vice-chancellor, Badri Narayan, a distinguished Hindi poet, scholar and Sahitya Akademi awardee. The event is organised by the Office of Students’ Affairs and the School of Skill Education bringing authors, poets, film makers and critics to engage with the younger generation.

Explaining the vision behind the gathering, Narayan noted that the festival serves as a platform where "authors, poets, and thinkers gather to reimagine the futures we inhabit."

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TISS Literature Festival 2026 schedule

Filmmaker Subhash Ghai will inaugurate the festival on October 16, 2026. The first session will be moderated by Anjum Sharma and will include a short film called TISS Navati: Nine Decades of Purpose, which will look back at the institute’s journey since 1936.

Day 1 schedule 

The first day will feature a panel discussion titled “The Youth in Indian Novels”, chaired by T.V. Kattimani and moderated by Anil Tripathi. The session includes Akhilesh, Narendra B. Pathak, Sudha Singh, and Vishwas Patil as panelists. 

The second session will focus on poetry recitation and discussion under the theme “Youth Voice and Memory”. Chaired by Dhananjay Singh, the session brings together poets Anil Mishra, Ashish Tripathi, Dhanaji Ghorpade, Panna Trivedi, Raman Mishra, Shailja Pathak, and Suryasnata Tripathy. 

Following those sessions, students will showcase creativity through an art exhibition, the launch of various student competitions, and a music programme.

Day 2 schedule 

The second day will open with a panel discussion on “Youth and Stories”, chaired by Srinivas Rao and moderated by Ashutosh Thakur, featuring Anjum Sharma, Anil Tripathi, and Rajkumar. 

The second panel for day 2, titled “Screening/Staging Youth”, will be chaired by filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia and moderated by Vikas Pathak, with Satya Vyas, Kamal Pandey, and Yunus Khan participating as panelists. 

The festival will conclude with a cultural programme from, with performances by students such as poetry recitals, ghazals, Sufi songs, classical and folk music and traditional dance.

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Student engagement 

Under the guidance of M. Mariappan, dean of students’ affairs, Vaishali Kolhe, associate dean of students affairs and Madhushree Sekher, dean of the School of Skill Education, the student council has organised many activities. These include quiz, extempore speaking, photography, podcasting, reel-making and poetry contests. Novelists, poets, filmmakers, critics, and students will come together over two days to discuss how youth remember, envision, and transform society.