Chandigarh, November 9
The Day 2 of AWWA Literature Festival ‘Abhivyakti 4.0’ began on Saturday with an insightful keynote address by Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Shri Gulab Chand Kataria, Chief Guest.
Lt Gen Mohit Wadhwa, SM, Chief of Staff, Western Command, Chandimandir, welcomed Shri Kataria on his arrival in the august presence of senior Army officers, former Chief of Army Staff General VP Malik, and others. Shri Kataria took a round of the exhibition where several organizations aided by AWWA have exhibited their products, Shuchi Katiyar, Regional President AWWA was also present with the Governor. The Governor later also took a round of the area where arms and weapons have been put on display.
Meanwhile, the governor in his address expressed pride in witnessing the unifying power of literature that transcends boundaries and brings diverse literary voices onto a shared platform. The governor said that literature connects India’s past with the present and also provides an outlook for the future. He complimented Army officers, their wives and even children for producing some very good quality literature in form of various books. He said what literature can give to the future generations will be decided by what type of writings, stories, journalism, poetry etc. our litterateurs are presently engaged in.
Meanwhile, one of the highlights at the Main Venue of ‘Abhivyakti 4.0’ was a thought-provoking panel discussion on the theme ‘From Battlefields to Bestsellers,’ which captivated the audience. The panelists were Lt Gen Bhopinder Singh (Retd), Mr Shabbir Boxwala, Mr Shiv Aroor, Mr Rahul Singh, and Captain Sajita Nair (Retd).
The discussion, which was moderated by Mr Vivek Atray, IAS (Retd), delved into the unique journeys of authors whose experiences in the armed forces have shaped their literary voices, bridging the worlds of military and literature.
The panel discussion on ‘Pride in Uniform: Celebrating Army Wards’ Achievements’ served as a tribute to the remarkable accomplishments of individuals raised in military families. The session brought together – actor Pooja Batra, Major Mohammad Ali Shah (Retd), budding authors Aashna Lidder and Karunya S Bisht. The discussion explored how values imbibed in an army setting contributed to the personal and professional success of army wards across various fields. The discussion was moderated by Ganiv Chadha Panjrath.
Moderated by Hardeep Singh Chandpuri, a panel discussion on ‘Publishing Pathways: Navigating the Industry’ explored and dissected the multiplicity of challenges and opportunities in publishing industry with a special reference to women writers with army background.
At Sambandh Lawns the venue 2 of ‘Abhivyakti 4.0’, an engrossing panel discussion took place on the topic of ‘Growing Up with Stories: The Power of Children’s Literature’. Another panel discussion on ‘Verses of Modern India: The Poet’s Voice Today’ captured the essence of India through the voices of its modern poets. In another session, Anisha Koti Bhaskar shared her insights on storytelling by visual narration with a special reference to graphics and illustrations.
At the Author’s Lounge, the audience enjoyed book reading, signing and meeting authors whose books were launched on the day. Some of the books launched on Day 2 of Abhivyakti 4.0 were ‘Military History of the Sikhs’ by Col DS Cheema. Col Cheema’s book was unveiled by the Governor. Other books launched included ‘Semi:Colon’ by Tamanna Kaur Cheema and ‘Rudhira’ by Dr Sanjhna Nayarr.
