Goshthi on 28 June 2014

Meet our Writers: Goshthi on 28 June 2014. 5.30 to 7.00 pm at UTGH

We will hold our next Goshthi on 28 June at the UT Guest House from 5.30 to 7.00 pm.

On this occasion we have invited the following of our local writers to interact with the audience and read some of their work: Yojna Rawat, Taruna, Paramjit Param, Ashwani Shandilya and Dr Chawla.

Kindly join us and pass on the message to your friends and other literature enthusiasts.

Show our writers you care!

Chairperson, CSA

Creative Writing Workshop

The week-long Creative Writing Workshop for Children organized by the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi concluded today with the participating children proudly presenting their compositions written under the guidance of resource persons.

The Workshop in English, Hindi & Punjabi was held at D.A.V. Sr. Secondary School (Lahore), Sector 8C, Chandigarh, in association with Aurobindo School of Integral Learning, Sector 27, Chandigarh. It commenced on 26.05.14 and wound up today, ie, on 30.05.14.

A total of 90 Students from renowned educational institutions of Chandigarh like Vivek High School, DPS, Sacred Heart Sr. Sec. School  and  St. John’s High School, etc., participated in the  workshop which was a judicious blend of theory and practice, lectures and practical composition work.

During the Workshop Days, renowned resource persons like Prof. Manju Jaidka, Chairperson of Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi, writer and poet Madhav Kaushik, Profs. Yojna Rawat and Surinder Sharma from Panjab University shared their experiences and explained different ways of creative writing techniques. The students were taught how to write plays, stories and poetry. A dedicated team of young volunteers from CSA supervised the writing sessions and encouraged students to compose stories, poems and skits in Hindi, English and Punjabi.

On the concluding day the students were given a platform to present the compositions they had penned over the last four days. They recited poetry, enacted skits and shared their impressions about the Workshop. The function ended with distribution of Certificates by Sahitya Akademi to the students who participated.

Overall, judging from the children's response, the workshop was a great success. CSA acknowledges with gratitude the support of the management of Sri Aurobindo School, and in particular the contribution of DAV School Principal Vibha Ray who was the steering force behind the event, supported by her able faculty including Pooja Handa, Anju Mehta, and others.

Photographs of the event have been uploaded on the CSA Facebook page.

AWARDS FOR BOOKS PRINTED DURING THE YEAR 2013

AWARDS FOR BOOKS PRINTED DURING THE YEAR 2013

The following have been adjudged the best entries and will receive awards for their books printed in 2013:

Vijay Saudai (Hindi Novel)
Amarjit Amar (Hindi Short Fiction)
Narendra Shukla (Hindi Satire)
Bhupinder Brar (Hindi Poetry)
Ashwini Kumar Sawan (Punjabi Short  fiction)
Charandeep Singh (Punjabi Novel)
Paramjeet Param (Punjabi Poetry)

Congratulations to all the prize winners.
 Awards will be given at the next CSA event.

Creative Writing Workshop

Dear Friends

A Creative Writing Workshop is being organized by the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi. Limited seats are available on first come first served basis.

Who can participate:  School Children between the ages of 10 and 15 years.
Medium of instruction/ writing: English, Hindi, Punjabi

Workshop Dates: from the 26th to 30th of May 2014
Time: 10.00 AM to 1.00 PM daily
Venue: DAV Senior Secondary School (Lahore) Sector 8, Chandigarh

How to enroll:
Parents/teachers/guardians may send the name, age and school affiliation of their wards, along with email ids and contact nos., to doctor_vibha@yahoo.co.in with a copy to davschool8@gmail.com by the 20th of May 2014.

Confirmation to selected participants will be sent by the 23rd of May. 

There is no fee for the workshop.
Certificates will be distributed at the end of the workshop.

Chairperson, CSA

Annual Round-Up 2014

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi held its Annual Round-Up 2014 this evening at Hotel Parkview, Sector 24. This is a very special function for the Akademi, an occasion when CSA showcases the entire year's events. 

It is common knowledge that over the last six years the Akademi has breathed new life into the literary life and spirit of the City Beautiful, encouraging writers to come out of their ivory towers, share their writing with their peers, appreciate and critique the works of like-minded creative people. Through interactive sessions, Writers' Meets, book readings, literary festivals, and other such events, the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi has transformed Chandigarh into a hub of creativity, bringing in talented writers from outside the region to exchange ideas and experiences with the local populace.

This evening's program was a retrospective look at the year gone by. The Chairperson of the Akademi, Manju Jaidka, made an impressive power point presentation that showed the highlights of the year. This was followed by the release of the annual brochure which collates the year's activities along with a commentary and photographs. The brochure was released by the Chief Guest, Shri KK Sharma, Adviser to the Administrator, who complimented the CSA on the good work done. Mr Sharma was particularly appreciative of the fact that literature is being promoted in the city through different conduits, targeting all age groups, the old and the young, and all the languages of the region. 

The programme included a presentation by Anita Krishan, author of "Tears of Jhelum," a recently released book that has been in the news lately. Anita Krishan, who was formally introduced by Gursheek Kaur, explaoned the genesis and the high points of her work and read some passages to the audience that was greatly touched by the pathos of her writing.

CSA annually awards occasion Grants-in-Aid for unpublished manuscripts. Four of the books published with the assistance of CSA were released today by Sh KK Sharma. The authors, Yojana Rawat, Sandeep Bhatia, Sukhwinder Mann,  and Geeta Devi, were warmly congratulated by Mr Sharma.

In her concluding remarks teh Chairperson, CSA, announced that a Creative Writing Workshop for Children between 10 and 15 years of age will be conducted from 26th to 30th May. Details will be announced on Chandigarh sahitya Akademi's Facebook and Blog. As the seats are limited, the policy of first come first served will be followed.

Overall, this evening's CSA event was a scintillating one that presented in a very impressive nutshell the manner in which the main office bearers of the Akademi, Manju Jaidka, Anil Raina, and Madhav Kaushik, with the support of their council, have been working together to make the city a happening place. The city, in turn, has shown its appreciation in a countless ways and the good work continues.

Photographs for today's events are on this link:

https://plus.google.com/photos/105464712099114161998/albums/6013283099087582225

DATE EXTENDED FOR SUBMISSIONS

AWARDS FOR PRINTED BOOKS


CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS:

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi invites writers residing or working in Chandigarh to submit PRINTED BOOKS in Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, or English (Poetry, Fiction, Plays) published in 2013.

Three copies of each book should be sent to the CSA office (1st Floor, State Library, Sector 34, Chandigarh), by APRIL 4, 2014.

Edited books and those published with financial help from CSA or from another agency will not be considered.

Manju Jaidka
Chairperson, CSA

Poetry Session with Rukmini Bhaya Nair

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi seems to have its plate full all the time and everytime. If it is not hosting outstanding writers from outside the region, it is busy with its local talent, giving it a suitable platform, encouraging new voices to emerge from the cocoon and be heard. If is isn't a mega event like a Festival of Letters being organized, there is something else in the offing -- like a kahani utsav or a kavya mehfil or an announcement of awards for published or unpublished books, or competitions for the younger generation.  Truly, the Akademi is busy all year round and even before one can recover from one Akademi event comes an invitation for another and yet another.

This evening, at the UT Guest House there was a blend of several voices: six selected poets of the city presented their work-in-progress in the presence of an established poet from Delhi. 

The chief guest of the day was Rukmini Bhaya Nair, an eminent linguist, award winning poet, writer and critic. She is a Professor of Linguistics and English at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, internationally recognized for her work in the areas of linguistics, cognition and literary theory. She is also the acclaimed author of poetry collections includingYellow Hibiscus, The Ayodhya Cantos and The Hyoid Bone, along with several academic publications. As the editor of Biblio, India's leading literary and cultural journal, she is also part of the Australian ABC Radio's panel of experts for its well-known program 'The Book Show'. In addition, she contributes to all major national dailies and magazines and is a frequent panelist on Mark Tully's BBC broadcast 'Something Understood'. Rukmini's writings, both creative and critical, are taught on courses at universities such as Chicago, Toronto Kent, Oxford and Washington, and she contends that she writes poetry for the same reason that she does research in cognitive linguistics - to discover the limits of language. Her great ambition is simply to continue to write and research. This evening she presided over the poetry session, read some of her  poems, and also engaged the audience in an animated discussion of poetry and poetics.

Among the local voices, Kailash Ahluwalia, an established senior poet who has formerly taught at a local college, was the first to read his poems. He  writes in English and in Hindi and he has earlier received a life-time achievement award from the CSA. Jasbir Kaur regaled the audience with her witty poems dedicated to the spirit of woman. Reenu Talwar, a free lance writer and translator, read several of her short pieces, each poem packed with profound thought.  Maniinder Bains, artist and poet, recited poetry that was evocative and sensuous. For Archana R. Singh, who is from media studies, it was a maiden attempt at poetry recitation; her mature, controlled poems in Hindi were much appreciated.Vijaya Singh, who has earlier composed poetry in English, surprised the audience with her well-crafted thought-provoking poems on subjects as unusual as a razai or an aaloo.

The two-hour programme was a celebration of womanhood, March being a month dedicated to the cause. A society is invariably judged by the way its women are treated. CSA, believing that all women should have a voice and should "make a difference", endeavours to give women writers and women's issues a space and platform. These endeavours are  apparently successful, judging from the fact that almost half the audience today comprised male members who did not simply agree with the views that are presented, but also lend continued support to the initiatives of the CSA. 

The Chairperson Manju Jaidka, Vice-Chairman Anil Raina, and Secretary Madhav Kaushik, working in tandem together, have  certainly carved a niche for the CSA in the City Beautiful, bringing together events that one waits for with great expectations!