New Delhi, Jan 2 : 'Shabdotsav 2026', a three-day cultural and literary festival celebrating â??Bharat Abhyudayaâ??, kicked off at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium in the national capital on Friday.

The event was inaugurated with the lighting of a lamp in the presence of Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Cabinet Minister Kapil Mishra, Union Minister of State Harsh Malhotra and other noted and distinguished dignitaries.

The event began with the rendition of Vande Mataram.

The 'Shabdotsav 2026', shedding light on the countryâ??s cultural, literary and ideological consciousness, will see several noted thinkers, speakers, and ideologues share their views during the three-day programme.

The festival being organised by Suruchi Prakashan in collaboration with Hindi Academy is set to host over 100 authors, filmmakers, thinkers, cultural performances, youth events, book discussions, and Bharat-inspired cuisine.

National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, RSSâ?? Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar and Manmohan Vaidya are among the noted speakers at the event.

Earlier, Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra shared an update about the event on his X handle, saying, â??The ideology of those who want to break the nation will no longer be able to fly their flags.â??

He wrote on X in Hindi, "Lord Nataraja, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Maharana Pratap Ji, Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj.. These are our heroes, and this is our festival 'Shabdotsav'..."

Days ago, the Art and Culture Minister informed that the countryâ??s largest literature and cultural festival at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium will see students from nearly 40 universities across the Delhi-NCR participate.

The festival is expected to see a slew of book releases and also feature programmes such as Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Bhajan Sandhya, Kavi Sammelan and Somnath Jyotirlinga Darshan.

The poster of Delhi 'Shabdotsav 2026' was earlier launched by Delhi CM Rekha Gupta along with her cabinet ministers, including Kapil Mishra, Ashish Sood and others.

â??The three-day cultural and literary festival, from January 2 to 4, will bring together literature, culture and intellectual discourse on a single platform for the first time,â?? says the Shabdotsav on its portal.

/IANS