To mark International Mother Language Day in 2026, Kozhikode UNESCO City of Literature are hosting a range of events.

Please note that the following activity is taking place in-person in Kozhikode.

The events include the Endangered Languages Forum (in collaboration with KIRTADS), a panel discussion and presentations focusing on the preservation of Kerala’s minority and tribal languages, such as Paniya and Bettakurumba.

There will also be a Wall of Words public mural in Mananchira Square – a curated installation where citizens can inscribe their favourite Malayalam words, creating a massive typographic tribute to their mother tongue.

Children are invited to take part in The Script Workshop, an introductory session on Vattezhuthu and Kolezhuthu, designed to help them understand the ancient scripts that carved Kerala’s history on stone and palm leaves. Meanwhile, the Trace the Ancestors workshop will give children hands-on practice of writing their names in these ancient scripts, and The Youngest Voice keynote address from Agna Yaami invites them to take up creative writing and embrace Kozhikode’s City of Literature identity.

Plus…

Pustaka Chanda (book fair) – a marketplace at Aanakkulam spotlighting local Malabar publishers and literature in minority languages.

Synchronized events across 56 city libraries, including reading circles, local poetry slams, and children’s workshops.

And a Malayalam Calligraphy Contest: a student-focused competition celebrating the aesthetic beauty of the Malayalam script.

UNESCO Cities of Literature and International Mother Language Day

Manchester leads the UNESCO Cities of Literature on International Mother Language Day celebrations in February, and so each year we share how other cities are celebrating this special day. You can find out how other Cities of Literature are celebrating below.