Chandigarh News: There is going to be a gathering of literature and litterateurs again in the beautiful city Chandigarh. Chandigarh Literary Society (CLS) is going to organize Chandigarh Lit Fest (CLF) – Literati 2024 at Chandigarh Lake Club from 22nd November to 24th November. The much-awaited 12th edition of Literati-2024 will feature a whole series of authors and literary activities. During this time, renowned litterateurs from India and abroad will present their literary works and also have in-depth discussions on them.
CLF Literati-2024 will commence with a soulful musical evening, Aagaaz- Sham-e-Ghazal, featuring renowned artist Kanwar Jagmohan. The event will be held on 22nd November at Rani Lakshmi Bai Bhawan, Sector 38, Chandigarh. After this, literary sessions will be held at Sukhna Lake, Chandigarh on 23rd and 24th November.
Dr. Sumita Mishra, IAS, Festival Director of CLF Literati 2024 and Chairperson of CLS, provided information about the entire schedule of Literati 2024 during a press conference held at the Press Club here today. Dr. Mishra said that based on the theme ‘Celebrating Creativity’, the 3-day literature festival will include discussions on new topics, book launches, participation sessions and along with many eminent people from the art and culture sector, many well-known people from the art and culture sector will also be a part of the event. Eminent people will also read excerpts from their books and the entire event will be a beautiful mix of different literary activities.”
He said that the festival will get off to a sweet start with the musical performance “Chords from the Heart” by Pandit Subhash Ghosh on 23rd November. The keynote address will be given by National Sahitya Academy President Madhav Kaushik. After that different sessions will start.
Ratan Tata: A Life’ to be released
Dr. Sumita Mishra said that “One of the highlights of the first day will be the release of ‘Ratan Tata: A Life’, an interesting and new biography written on Ratan Tata by retired bureaucrat Dr. Thomas Mathew. Presents a unique glimpse into the life of Ratan, which highlights many unknown moments and different aspects of his life. On the occasion of the launch, an interactive session with the author Dr. Mathew ‘The Legend Lives on – A Man Called Ratan’ Will be ‘Tata’.
In a poignant session titled “Punjab: Jallianwala Bagh Tragedy and the Narratives Around It”, a number of renowned speakers spoke to Kishwar Desai – award-winning writer, playwright and historian; and Navtej Sarna, former ambassador to the USA, whose ‘Crimson Spring’ won the Best Fiction 2022 award. Won the KLF Award for the book. They will discuss the profound impact of one of the most tragic events in Indian history.
In “Punjab Di Zubaan: Young Poets Discuss Punjabi Poetry in Contemporary Times”, young poets Randhir Uppal, Wahid Khadiyal and Jassi Sangha will talk about the ever-evolving environment of Punjabi poetry.
Another important session, “Legal Landmarks: Charting the Path of Justice” will feature Pinky Anand, renowned advocate and politician, who has served as Additional Solicitor General in the Supreme Court of India, and Saudamani Sharma, lawyer, who is the Chief Justice of India. Will discuss major legal milestones in history.
The festival will celebrate stories of bravery and courage in “Voices of Valor: Stories of Bravehearts”, featuring General Ian Cardozo, the first Indian Army officer to be awarded the Sena Medal for Gallantry, and General Syed Ata Hasnain . General Hasnain is a highly respected and highly decorated Indian Army officer who is one of the leading writers and analysts on Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan and the Middle East.
In “Ink and Imagination: Crafting Poetic Worlds”, IAS officer Dr. Sumita Mishra, recipient of multiple Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi Awards and a leading poet of contemporary India, will be in conversation with author Aradhika Sharma on the art of crafting poetry.
Another important session “Daddy in the Driver’s Seat: A Single Father’s Experience” will feature Bollywood actor Tusshar Kapoor, who has ventured into writing with his first book ‘Bachelor Dad: My Journey’. His book is a memoir that chronicles his experiences as a single father to his son Lakshya, born through surrogacy in 2016.
Dr. Mishra said, “All the sessions during the program have been designed in such a way that a great dialogue comes out of the speakers.”
The second day of the festival will begin with the session ‘In Memoriam: A Tribute to Dr. Surjit Patar’ by poets Amy Singh and Jassi Sangha. Jassi Sangha, is a well-known Punjabi writer, assistant director and film researcher.
There will be a special session on “History as Storytelling: Reviving the Lost Chapters”, led by author Ira Mukhoti – a writer of Katha Itihasa and author of ‘Akbar: The Great Mughal’.
There will also be an interesting discussion on “Beauty in Diversity: Love, Language and Poetry” featuring multi-award winning translator, writer and literary historian Rakhshanda Jaleel and senior bureaucrat Vijay Vardhan. Shri Vijay Vardhan’s new book, ‘Happening Haryana’ traces the history of Haryana from the Harappan era to the present.
In another session, “Sahitya Samvad: Katha aur Kalpana” Dr. Madhav Kaushik, an eminent Hindi poet and writer who is also the President of the National Sahitya Academy and Jitendra Srivastava, a renowned poet and critic who has written 30 books on Indian literature I will discuss the interrelationship of story and imagination.
Another relevant session was ‘AI and Creativity: Friend or Foe?’ Khushwant Singh, a distinguished writer and former State Information Commissioner of Punjab, and Affan Yesvi, a Sufi scholar, columnist and entrepreneur will be in conversation with Renu Sinha. During this conversation, he will have extensive discussions on the major changes coming in the creative universe of AI.
An intensive session on stagecraft “The Power of Narrative Theater and Beyond” featuring theater veteran MK Raina – known for his contributions as an actor, theater director, filmmaker, screenwriter, educationist and author and Padma Shri Neelam Mansingh Choudhary, a renowned theater artist and director, will discuss the transformative power of theater as a medium of storytelling.
“Echoes of 1984: Narratives of loss, survival and identity” with renowned author Bubbu Teer and human rights activist and author of ‘The Curse of 1984: The Untold, Unheard Stories of Sikh Women’ Sanam Sutirath Wazir There will be a touching discussion.
“Exploring India’s Civilizational Wealth: Language, Spirituality and Heritage” will feature author-diplomat Pawan Verma, author of over a dozen bestselling books, and Sankrant Sanu, founder and CEO of publishing house Garuda Prakashan, who will speak on the rich cultural background of India.
Writer Sohum Shah will be seen in ‘Fear and Folly: The Intersection of Horror and Satire’. Soham is a filmmaker, fine artist, advertising company creator and author who has made his writing debut with his debut novel Blood Moon. Joining her will be Karan Oberoi who is a model and founder of India’s first boy-band – A Band of Boys! This exclusive session will give you a chance to experience the pleasant and disturbing mix of horror and satire in contemporary stories.
It is important to mention here that the festival will also witness the release of 6 books under the ‘Book Buzz’ activities. These include Sarabjit Singh Madan’s “Udaari (Punjabi)”; Sharat Ralhan’s “The Diva Who Died to Live”; Dr. Sanjeev Kumar RJ’s “Sulgadi Dharti”; ‘Geisha in the Gota Patti’ by author Chetna Keer; These include ‘Udgaar’ by writer Sarika Dhoopar and ‘Reflections of Ram Sevak’ written by Anirudh Tiwari.
It is noteworthy that the previous editions of CLF Literati have included well-known writers and speakers from India and abroad, including Ruskin Bond, Amish Tripathi, Ashwin Sanghi, Sonam Wangchuk, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Rakesh Omprakash Mehra, Divya Dutta, Ravinder Singh, Jerry Pinto, Ashok Bajpayee, Rajdeep Sardesai, Tarek Fatah, Nandita Puri, Pushpesh Pant, Rahul Pandita, Shefali Vasudeva, Surjit Patar, Rujuta Diwakar, Krishna Devulpalli, Kamla Kapoor, Kiran Nagarkar, Mridula Kosi, Madhulika Liddle, Tavleen Singh, Kolumpa Bam , Lee Maracle, Shauna Singh Baldwin, Jim Davidson and Jerome Armstrong, among many other celebrities.
