# 97th Marathi Sahitya Sammelan

The 97th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan was the three-day conference of Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal which held at Amalner in Jalgaon district, marks for the second time in Amalner since 1952.

## Presidency

The first All India Marathi Literary Conference took place in Pune in 1878, with Mahadev Govind Ranade serving as the president. In 1936, another conference was held in the Jalgaon district, presided over by Madhav Trimbak Patwardhan. In 1952, a meeting occurred in Amalner under the chairmanship of Krushnaji Pandurang Kulkarni. 97th edition of the conference marks the second time a conference is being held in Amalner under the presidency of Ravindra Shobhane. Earlier, a conference was hosted in Jalgaon city in 1984, with Shankar Ramchandra Kharat as the president.
Meanwhile, President of Sahitya Mahamandal Usha Tambe announced the president for 97th conference of Ravindra Shobhane in a press conference at 3:30 pm on June 25, 2023, in Pune.

## Preparations

The conference was set to take place in Amalner, Jalgaon district, as confirmed during the Sahitya Mahamandal meeting on April 23, 2023, in Pune. While Satara in western Maharashtra, Audumbar in Sangli district, Amalner in Jalgaon district, and Jalna in Marathwada region were considered as potential locations, Amalner has ultimately been chosen.
A Sane Guruji Sahitya Nagari was set up at Pratap College in Amalner for the conference. Planning of different halls, leveling of the site for construction of book exhibition hall, construction of internal roads in the area, construction of toilets, arrangement of parking lot were also done.

## Conference

The program was organized in Amalner from 2 to 4 February. On the morning of the first day of this literary conference at 07:30, Granth Dindi (procession of famous literary works) was taken out in Amalner. Many writers participated in the Granth Dindi. Granth Dindi was taken out with great fanfare in the presence of president Ravindra Shobhane and industrialist Ashok Jain.
On February 2, professor Usha Tambe inaugurated the flag hoisting and the library house. The library was inaugurated by former president of Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, Justice Narendra Chapalgaonkar. The conference was inaugurated by former Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan inaugurate the conference.

## Participating leaders

Legislative Council Deputy Speaker Neelam Gorhe, School Education and Marathi Language Development Minister Deepak Kesarkar, Water Supply and Sanitation Minister and District Guardian Minister Gulabrao Patil, convener of the meeting and Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Anil Patil, MP Unmesh Patil, Ayush Prasad, Ujjwala Mehendale, chairman of the Sahitya Mandal Usha Tambe, Executive President of the meeting Dr. Avinash Joshi, Pune University Senate Council Member Rajesh Pandey and other dignitaries were present on the conference. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde participated in the meeting live from Mumbai through audio-visual online system.

## Promises

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has promised that the Maharashtra Government will extend its full support to ensure that the 100th Sahitya Sammelan is organized on a grand scale, achieving global recognition.