By IANS
Mumbai : President Pratibha Patil will inaugurate the 81st Marathi Sahitya Sammelan (literary conference) Jan 19 at Sangli in south Maharashtra.
The four-day conference will attract renowned Marathi poets and writers for literary debates and discussions. Several cultural programmes on Marathi literature would be organised as part of the event.
According to organisation secretary Madhukar Page, the first meet was held in 1878 under the guidance of the eminent legal luminary and freedom fighter Justice M.G. Ranade.
“Now in its 81st edition, the Sammelan will seek to highlight and focus on the young talent, poets and those hailing from remote areas. The conference could not be held for some years owing to certain problems,” Page told IANS Wednesday.
Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat will preside over the conference, which will be held at the Wellington College in Sangli.
Maharashtra Governor S.M. Krishna, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil, state Finance Minister Jayant Patil, Jnanpith award winner from Karnataka S.L. Bhairappa will also participate in the meet.
The government has assured uninterrupted power supply at the venue for four days, Page said. Usually most parts of the state suffer daily load shedding ranging from two to 18 hours.