Kerala, a southern Indian state known for its vibrant cultural traditions and progressive public discourse, will host the Indian Cultural Congress, the country’s first-ever national cultural congress, from 20 to 22 December 2025 in Ernakulam. Conceived around the core values of Culture, Dialogue, Fraternity, Equality, and Peace, the three-day Congress will unfold across eight venues, bringing together writers, artists, filmmakers, scholars, performers, and cultural activists from all regions of India, along with participants from abroad. The Congress is being organised by a collective of cultural institutions and organisations, with the support of the Department of Culture, Government of Kerala, and aims to foreground the pluralistic and multilingual nature of Indian culture through dialogue and artistic exchange. The event will be inaugurated on 20 December by the Chief Minister of Kerala, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan, at Rajendra Maidan, Ernakulam. Sri. Saji Cherian, Hon’ble Minister for Culture, Government of Kerala, will preside over the event, and Sri. P. Rajeev, Hon’ble Minister for Law, Industry and Commerce, Government of Kerala, will grace the dais The inaugural ceremony will be attended by senior political leaders, leading cultural thinkers, and acclaimed artists, including internationally recognised filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Hindi poet Ashok Vajpeyi, and Telugu writer and lyricist Suddala Ashok Teja. Over three days, the Indian Cultural Congress will present an extensive programme of panel discussions, seminars, theatre performances, film screenings, visual art exhibitions, lectures, workshops, and street performances, alongside tribal, folk, ritualistic, and classical art forms from different parts of India. Distinguished figures from literature, cinema, music, dance, theatre, visual arts, and people’s movements will participate, including Javed Akhtar, K. Satchidanandan, M. Mukundan, Rajathi Salma, G.N. Devy, Saeed Mirza, Ratna Pathak Shah, Umayalpuram Sivaraman, Kalamandalam Gopi, Shantha Dhananjayan, Siddharth Varadarajan, and Kanimozhi, among many others. A special focus of the Congress will be on marginalised and under-represented voices, with dedicated platforms for transgender artists, linguistic minorities, and differently-abled performers. The programme will also include a painting exhibition by Palestinian artists, underscoring the Congress’s commitment to global cultural solidarity. The valedictory ceremony will be inaugurated by renowned Indian actor Mammootty, who will also be honoured by the Indian Cultural Congress in recognition of his contributions to cinema and culture. Free Registration for participation in seminars and discussions is open internationally. Further details and the registration form are available on the official website of the Directorate of Culture, Government of Kerala: culturedirectorate.kerala.gov.in (Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with NRDPL and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI