Patiala, June 16: Under the approval of Vice-Chancellor Dr. Jagdeep Singh, the 53rd All India Dravidian Linguists Conference is being organized at Punjabi University, Patiala, from June 18 to 20, 2026, in special collaboration with the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysore, and ICSSR, New Delhi. This conference is being jointly led by the Department of Punjabi, the Department of Linguistics and Punjabi Lexicography, the Punjabi Linguistics Association (Patiala), the Dravidian Linguistics Association, and the International School of Dravidian Linguistics (ISDL), Thiruvananthapuram.
Dr. Rajwant Kaur Punjabi, the Organizing Secretary of the conference and Head of the Punjabi Department, stated that the inauguration will take place on June 18 at 10:00 AM in the Senate Hall of Punjabi University. The session will commence with a welcome address by Dr. Rajwant Kaur Punjabi, followed by a detailed discussion on the conference by Dr. Bhupinder Singh Khehra, President of the Punjabi Linguistics Association. Vice-Chancellor Dr. Jagdeep Singh will deliver the presidential address.
Professor K. Karunakaran, former Vice-Chancellor of Tamil Nadu University, will be the special guest, while Professor M.J. Warsi from the Department of Linguistics, Aligarh Muslim University, will deliver the keynote address. Dr. G.K. Panikkar, Director of ISDL, will deliver the V.I. Subramoniam Centenary Lecture. The inaugural session will conclude with a vote of thanks by Dr. Jaswinder Singh Brar, Dean of Academic Affairs.
During the first academic session, Dr. R.C. Sharma (Head, Department of Linguistics, Delhi University) will deliver the 'Prof. V.I. Subramoniam Memorial Lecture', Prof. Suhnu Ram Sharma (Head, Department of Linguistics, Deccan College, Pune) will deliver the 'Prof. K. Mahadeva Sastri Memorial Lecture', and Dr. Jaiteg Singh Khehra (Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Chitkara University) will deliver the 'Prof. Nagamma Reddy Memorial Lecture'. Dr. Harvinderpal Kaur, Head of the Department of Punjabi Linguistics, will manage the stage. Numerous prominent personalities from the field of linguistics and related areas will participate in this significant conference over the following days.