The seventh edition of the Marathi-Malayali Ethnic Fest concluded at the Nehru Science Center in Worli, Mumbai on Saturday. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The seventh edition of the Marathi-Malayali Ethnic Fest concluded with a grand success at the Nehru Science Centre, Worli, Mumbai on Saturday (February 28, 2026), marking a major milestone in the celebration of cultural harmony between Kerala and Maharashtra.
Organized jointly by the All Mumbai Malayali Association (AMMA) and the Nehru Science Center under the Union Ministry of Culture, the event showcased a vibrant fusion of traditions and brought together thousands of students and artists to strengthen national integration through art and literature.
The festival was formally opened by prof. Ravindra Kulkarni, Vice-Chancellor of Mumbai University, who noted that such cross-cultural exchanges are vital to Mumbai’s social fabric and provide the energy necessary for national unity. Umesh Kumar Rustagi, Director, Nehru Science Centre, emphasized that while science seeks truth, art expresses beauty, making them inseparable aspects of human progress.
Festival Director and AMMA President, Jojo Thomas, a prominent socio-cultural leader, described the event as a sacred mission to enhance India’s diversity. Reflecting on the overwhelming response, Mr Thomas said: “The massive turnout we witnessed…underlines the growing prestige of this event. Due to the unprecedented crowd and logistical constraints, we had to operate on a first-come, first-served basis and we regret that we could not accommodate every single aspirant this year to ensure wider participation at the festival.”
The three-day extravaganza featured iconic art forms like Mohiniyattam, Bharatanatyam and Oppana from Kerala along with Maharashtra’s Lavani, Koli dance and Gondhal. The main highlight was the Multilingual Poetry Symposium moderated by Sulabha Chavan and Suresh Varma in which over 40 poets participated. The event was further enriched by academic discourses on Malayalam and Hindi literature by PCP Krishnakumar and Ujjwala Luktuke.
Published – 28 Feb 2026 20:23 IST
