Meet the Writer

December 6, 2009

Mr Suresh Seth, award-winning writer from Jalandhar, interacted with the CSA today at the State Library in Sector 34. He spoke about his work, about the issues that inspired him, and talked about the dedication and commitment that a writer must possess.
Chairing his session was Prof Jagmohan Chopra who presented his own views on the role of a literary artist. t who spoke on the occasion included Dr DS Gupt, Dr Indu Bali, Mr Atamjit Singh, Dr Chander Trikha and also Madhav Kaushik who compered the program.

Literary Quiz

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi organized a Literary Quiz at the Chandigarh Carnival in the Leisure Valley. The Quiz was open to the public. Teams of 2-4 members were allowed to participate.
Attractive cash Prizes and certificates were given to the winners. The first prize was bagged by the team from the Dept of English, Panjab University, Chandigarh.
Prof Anil Raina conducted the Quiz. He was ably supported by score-keepers, Navreet and Ramanpreet.

Book Launch

Shri Pawan Bansal, MP, has agreed to launch Dr DS Gupt's book on Chandigarh.
Please do attend.
Date: 31st October 2009
Time: 11.30 AM.
Venue: Govt Museum Auditorium, Sector 10

[The title of the book is "Kavita ke Aayine mein Chandigarh" and it comprises poems and pictures of the City.)

Dictionary Launch

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi collaborated with Ratna Sagar publishers and held an event today to mark a defining moment in the world of dictionaries. It was the launch of New Collins Illustrated Dictionaries published in collaboration with HarperCollins. The event was held at the Govt Museum auditorium in Sector 10. It was presided over by Prof RW Desai from Delhi and attended by a distinguished gathering of academics, litterateurs and book lovers.

Prof Manju Jaidka, the Chairperson of the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi, welcomed the guests and formally introduced Prof Desai who is a professor of eminence, retired after a long distinguished career from the University of Delhi. He has an international profile and is the the author of several books published in India and abroad. For twenty-five years he brought out Hamlet Studies - an international Journal devoted solely to Shakespare's Hamlet. He has also edited Johnson on Shakespeare for Orient Longman. Currently he is producing a film version of Hamlet, the first scene of which was screened earlier this year. In his presidential remarks Prof Desai, quoting freely from Shakespeare and the classics, gave several examples to show the changes that keep taking place in language. Accompanying him was his wife, Jyoti, also a professor of English.

Prof RW Desai and his wife, Jyoti

Mr Sridhar Balan, Director of Ratna Sagar publishers, outlined the new product being launched and explained how the new dictionaries try to keep pace with the times, bringing into focus the rapid changes that take place in language. Ratna Sagar has recently entered into partnership with Harper Collins for the exclusive marketing of their dictionaries—the Collins Compact Dictionary, the Collins Pocket Dictionary, and the Collins School Dictionary—in the Indian subcontinent. The dictionaries being launched today were the Collins COBUILD Learner’s Illustrated Dictionary (Hardback and Paperback) and the Collins COBUILD Advanced Illustrated Dictionary.
Prof Manju Jaidka informed the audience that such literary events form an ongoing part of the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi. She invited the gathering to actively participate in all the future events.

OCTOBER 13 2009

an invitation to witness a defining moment in the world of dictionaries

Ratna Sagar

and

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi

Invite you to the launch of

New Collins Illustrated Dictionaries

Launched by

Professor R.W. Desai

(University of Delhi)

Date: Tuesday Oct 13, 2009

Time: 4.30 PM

Venue:

Govt. Museum Auditorium

Sector 10

Chandigarh

MEET THE AUTHOR- NEENA KAHLON

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi this evening organized another event in its meet-the-author series. Ms. Neena Kahlon, author of Remembering the Juice Mango (Rupa, 2009) interacted with an invited audience at the Sector 34 State Library. In conversation with the writer was Ms. S. Kalha, P.E.S. Retd.

Remembering the Juice Mango, Ms Kahlon’s latest novel, is about the partition and its aftermath. There is a saying that "A woman is like a teabag. You know her strength only after you dip her in hot water." The book tells the story of one such woman, Ratna, whose life is transformed as a direct consequence of a defining moment – the partition of India? Nine-year-old Ratna survives the wounds of partition, and walks the path to personal growth through love and healing. The novel is about victims of wars who are dubbed as "collateral damage" and then are forgotten. The author has given a voice to such "voiceless" human beings.

Neena Kahlon is an old student from the Dept of English, Panjab University. She was born and raised in Amritsar and is a descendant of survivors of the partition. She has lived in the US since 1974. As a writer she has featured in television interviews in the US.

Ms S. Kalha is well-known and much respected in Chandigarh. With exemplary dedication and commitment she has contributed immensely to the field of education, moulding several generations of young students. After a distinguished career as a college teacher, she retired as the principal of Govt. College for Girls, Sector 11.

Prof Manju Jaidka, Chairperson of the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi, who introduced today’s chief guest and speaker, announced that the next function would be the launch of an Illustrated Dictionary published jointly by Collins and Ratnasagar. It will be held on 13th October at 4.30 pm. The venue will be the Sector 10 Museum Auditorium.

SUFI TALES

The Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi today held a function at the Central
State Library, Sector 34, to launch the publication of Pilgrimage to
Paradise: Sufi Tales from Rumi, written by Kamla Kapur. The book has
been published by Penguin in India and Mandala in the US.
The author has lived in Chandigarh for several years and is not based
in the US. She got her Bachelor's in English Honors from India, and
her Masters' Degree in literature from Kent State University,
Ohio,USA. She also took classes in creative writing from the
University of Iowa, and the University of California in San Diego.
Since 1985, Ms Kapur has been commuting between the USA and India.She
has recently completed her first novel, The Autobiography of Saint
Padma the Whore, and a fantasy novel, Malini in Whirlwood. She lives
half the year in a remote Kullu Valley in the Himalayas and the other
half in California, with her husband Payson R. Stevens.
Pilgrimage to Paradise presents the author’s passion for Sufi thought.
Inspired by Rumi, Kamla K. Kapur has reworked translations of thirty
of his stories—tales of wit, wisdom, and faith. The basis for Kapur’s
stories is Rumi’s six-volume Mathnawi, as translated from Persian by
Reynold A. Nicholson. Kapur puts her own spin on the stories, yet
remaining true to Rumi’s vision.
Presiding over the session, the noted theatre person, Neelam Mansingh,
who is also a personal friend of the author, expressed her
appreciation of the Kapur’s reworking of Sufi tales.
Earlier, Professor Manju Jaidka, Chairperson of the Chandigarh
Sahitya Akademi, announced that such events are a routine part of the
Akademi’s functioning. Two more book launches will be held in October.
On 7th October Ms S. Kalha will preside over the book launch of Neena
Kahlon’s book at the Library in Sector 34, and on 13th October the
Chandigarh Sahitya akademi will collaborate with Ratnasagar and
Collins Publishers to launch their new illustrated dictionary. The
event on the 13th will be chaired by Prof Rupin Desai of Delhi
University.

Sufi Tales

BOOK LAUNCH


Pilgrimage to Paradise

Sufi Tales from Rumi

by Kamla Kapur


To be introduced by
Neelam Man Singh


Date: 26th Sept 2009
Time 5 pm
Venue: Sector 34 State Library, First Floor. Chandigarh

Forthcoming events - October 2009

FORTHCOMING EVENTS:
October 7th, 5PM: Book Launch at the Sector 34 Library. Neena Kahlon's book, "Remembering the Juice Mango" (Rupa, 2009). Author in conversation with Miss S. Kalha.

Oct 9th, 5 PM: at the Govt Museum Auditorium, Sector 10. Launch of a new Illustrated Dictionary published by Collins and Ratnasagar.

STAY TUNED, FOLKS!

HINDI DIVAS CELEBRATIONS

Hindi Divas celebration.
Sector 34 Library

10.30 AM on 13th September 2009.
Main Speaker: Dr Giriraj Sharan Aggarwal
Chair: Prof MP Bhardwaj

Dr Giriraj Sharan Aggarwal, editor of Shodh Disha, located in Bijnore, spoke passionately of the need to champion the Hindi language in the face of govt apathy. He stressed the fact that Hindi has a rich vocabulary and is used by people all over the world. Why, then, should it not be used in all institutions in India. Computer programmes are available in Hinda and Wikipedia too has information in Hindi. Besides, with the help of Unicode it is now easy to translate any language on the basis of phonetics. For these reasons, according to Dr Aggarwal, there is a crying need in our country to focus on the development and promotion of the Hindi language.
Prof MP Bhardwaj, in his presidential remarks, endorsed Dr Aggarwal's views but stressed that the development of Hindi should not be at the cost of other languages. Languages can learn a lot from each other and be mutually beneficial instead of hostile to each other.
Prof Jagmohan Chopra and Dr Gurmeet Singh of Panjab University also spoke on this occasion. Both had a positive approach to the issues raised and reiterated that languages do not exist in isolation; they can be developed simultaneously and we in India can gain a lot by being open-minded towards the languages and customs of people outside our own cloisters.

Hindi Divas 2009

Hindi Divas celebration.
Sector 34 Library

10.30 AM on 13th September 2009.
Main Speaker: Dr Giriraj Sharan Aggarwal
Chair: Prof MP Bhardwaj

You are invited.

Farooq sheikh speaking of stories on the silver screen

Indubala Singh's introduction to Farooq Sheikh:

Farooq Sahib actually needs no introduction, nor do I think he is an artist in 'Search of an Audience' because, it is the audience which actually seeks him out. Farooq Sahib is a man of abundant aptitude, an intellectual, and above all a man of great personal charm without any hypocrisy or any sort of self-deception. He is in fact a trained lawyer but never followed the profession. He was born to a lawyer father and mother in a village in Baroda district , Gujrat which to this day he visits and takes care of his lands there. He had his schooling in St Mary's and went to St Xavier's College after which he joined Siddharth College of Law, Bombay -- mainly because attendance wasn't compulsory there and he could rehearse and act in the IPTA plays. In fact he is a gift of IPTA to Indian Cinema and he entered the film world as a committed artist in 1973 in Garam Hawa, directed by MS Sathyu, senior director of IPTA. In the film he enacted the role of Sikander. Based on theme of the partition of India, the unsentimental directness of the film was remarkable. It was highly acclaimed and also screened at the Cannes film festival. It ran into trouble with the Indian censors but neverthless was awarded the National award for National Integration in 1973.

Farooq Sahib had no intention of being a professional actor but after the film's acclaim he was noticed by Satyajit Ray who called him up and offered him the role of Aqueel in Shatranj ke Khiladi in 1977 and in 1979 Muzaffar Ali offered him a lead role in Gaman of a migrant from UP who becomes a taxi driver in Bombay. After that in 1979 itself, came his first commercial hit -- Noorie against our own Chandigrh beauty, Poonam Dhillon. Even though the film was a huge success , he was embarassed as he felt he was not cut out for song, dance, and fight kind of sequences. After that he did not do any film for two years but in 1981 Sai Paranjpaye called him to read the script of Chasme Budoor,a romantic comedy. He enacted the lovable Siddharth Parashar. In 1992 he did a naughty mishievous Hare Bashudev in Hare -Tortoise story. Sai had great fondness for weaving humorous fables and both of the films constitute two of the best comedies of Hindi cinema.

In I981 Farooq Sahib did Umrao Jaan with Muzaffar Ali again and the film turned out to be a memorable one not only for its excellent adaptation of Mirza Hadi Rusva's novel in Urdu by the same name but also for its art direction and outstanding performances of Rekha and Farooq Sahib. Interestingly the rendition of the beautiful song 'In aankhon ki masti' which is picturised on both of them had extremely sensitive close ups of Farooq Sahib accentuating his poetic eyes. In fact Naseerud din Shah, who was one of the characters, conceded that it was Farooq Sahib who brought the real senstivity to his role of all the male leads in the film.

In 1982 Farooq Sahib portrayed another sensitive character of Sarju in Saagar Sarhadi's film Bazaar. There after he did a classical comedy with Hrishikesh Mukherji as Prof Jeet Saxena in Rang Birangi. In fact he learnt a lot from Hrishida and decided to do less films and moved on to Television as it was opening up contentwise. He enjoyed doing Shrikant for 2 years on TV and after that became the ribbling host of Jeena isi ka naam hai which was a huge success as he looked into the lives of achievers without a definite script.

Another land mark was the play Tumhari Amrita he did with Shabana Azmi which was adapted from A.G. Varney's Love Letters and directed very ably by Firoze Khan. The play was planned as an experimental show for Jennifer Kapoor Festival in Feb1992 and it to have 4-5 shows but it had more than 250 shows and was staged almost all over the world except Australia.Recently Farooq Sahib was seen in Saas Bahu and Sensex.

Farooq Sahib has been rather a cinematic epitome of the common man and the buoyant boy nextdoor. With his near-natural acting he enriched every role he essayed with sincerity and conviction, revealing the full range of his versatile acting talent in almost all the genres.

the author in search of an audience

KAHANI DARBAR

Chandigath Sahitya Akademi organised a trilingual Kahani Darbar in the conference Hallof the State Library in Sector 34 today. Dr Rajinder Kumar Kanaujia presented his short story, "Two Minutes' Silence," based on a Communal outburt. Shri N.S. Rattan read his story, "Bhanwar," based on the after-effects of Operation Blue Star, highlighting the psyche of the people near Golden Temple. Mr R.D.Sharma Tasseer's story in Urdu spoke of the treatment being meted out to elderly parents abandoned by their children, forced to live with hunger - "Bhookh".

The conference hall ws packed with an appreciative audience, Presiding over the occasion, Dr. Renuka Nayar, in her concluding remarks applauded the presentation of the writers and the efforts of the Akademi.

HASYA KAVI SAMMELAN

CHANDIGARH SAHITYA AKADEMI organized a HASYA KAVI SAMMELAN at the Govt. Museum Auditorium, Sector 10, Chandigarh, this evening. The participating poets were:Dilbar, Yogendra Maudgil, Jangvir Rathee, Master Mahendra, Sufi Jagjit, and T.N. Raaz.

The atmosphere remained light-hearted throughout and it was evident that the large audience gathered at the venue was greatly enjoying the show. Satire, wit, humour and laughter reigned supreme. But wit was tempered with thought and there was a free sprinkling of intellectual content throughout. Truly, the fare offered was an example of a unification of sensibilities!

Mrs Vijay Lakshmi, former principal of GCG-11, presided over the event. She lauded the efforts of the Akademi and stressed the need for such cultural get-to-gethers in the city.

Mr Madhav Kaushik, Secretary of the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi, ably compered the show. Also present on the occasion were Prof Manju Jaidka and Dr DS Gupt, Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson of the Akademi respectively. Prof Manju Jaidka, announced that the next event of the CSA would be a Kahani Darbar on the 26th of this month, which will be held at the Akademi's auditorium in the State Library of Sector 34.
In August a National level seminar will be organized, the medium of which will be English. Those interested may contact the Akademi through email: sahitakad2008@gmail.com

Hasya Kavi Sammelan

LET'S HAVE SOME MIRTH WITH SOME VERSE!
CHANDIGARH SAHITYA AKADEMI
cordially invites you to a

HASYA KAVI SAMMELAN
Venue: Govt. Museum Auditorium, Sector 10, Chandigarh
Date: SUNDAY, JULY 12, 2009
Time: 4.30 PM
Participating poets:
Dilbar
Yogendra Maudgil
Jangvir Rathee
MastervMaherndra
Sufi Jagjit
T.N. Raaz
·
rsvp: sahitakad2008@gmail.com

ANTHOLOGY IN THE MAKING!

CHANDIGARH SAHITYA AKADEMI PROPOSES TO COMPILE A SELECTION OF POEMS AND SHORT STORIES IN ENGLISH

Writers working or residing n Chandigarh may submit up to five poems (not exceeding 5 printed pages in all) and / or one short story along with a brief CV. Poems and stories should relate to the culture and milieu of Chandigarh. Submissions should be certified as original and unpublished.

Deadline: 31st July 2009

respond to:
sahityaakad2008@gmail.com
or
mjaidka@gmail.com

MITTER SAIN MEET

RU-BA-RU
with

MITTER SAIN MEET
Sahitya Akademi Award-Winner 2009 (Punjabi)

Chaired by: Prof. Ramesh Kuntal Megh

Date: Sunday, 7 June 2009

Time: 11.00 AM

Mr. Mitter Sain Meet was invited by the Aakdemi for a Face-to-Face programme. In his deliberations Mr. Sain declared that he had started his Journey in the literary world by writing Short-Stories but later on switched over to novels. His latest Novel is SUDHAR GHAR. The earlier novels are Ag De Beej (1971), Taphthish (1990), Katehra(1993), and Kaurav Sabha (2003). Mitter Sain Meet is bold in his attempt to expose corruption in high places. He works as a Public Prosecutor in Ludhiana and knows the ins and outs of the Judicial system.

Dr. D.S. Gupt, Vice-Chairman of the Akademi, welcomed and introduced the writer. Eminent critic, Dr. Ramesh Kuntal Megh, presided over the function and highlighted the achievements of Mr. Meet. Shri Sham Singh another Punjabi writer and member of the Akademi proposed a vote of thanks. Chairperson Prof. Manju Jaidka honoured Mr. Meet & Dr. Megh, gifting to each a set of books recently published by the Akademi.

Fellowships

One of the objectives of the CSA is to encourage talent, especially among the younger generation. Keeping this in view, a promising writer of the city has been nominated for fellowship / travel grant to attend a Writer's Workshop in Pune.

Susheel Kumar a budding writer, will be attending a week-long Writer's Camp at Pune. The Camp is being organized by India Inter-continental C Association/ Writers Club International and Pragati Mitra Mandal Mumbai.

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi will be supporting his participation.

Shiv Batalvi

Chandigarh, May 6
On his 36th death anniversary, the legendary Punjabi poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi was paid rich musical tributes by admirers and artistes in a musical soiree organised by Chandigarh Sahitya Akademy. Old associates and young artistes recited his poems and spoke eloquently in his praise. Taran Gujral, Gurdev Singh from England and Govardhan Gabbi presented ghazals of Shiv. Choreography on the poet’s songs by Wamiqa Gabbi and Chandni was well received. CSA vice-chairman DS Gupt honoured the artistes.

ANNUAL ROUND-UP

CHANDIGARH SAHITYA AKADEMI ANNUAL ROUND-UP

The Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi (CSA) held an impressive function at the Govt Museum auditorium in Sector 10, on 24th April, 2009. The event comprised a Round-Up of the Akademi’s activities during 2008-09, a Book Release Event, and a Poetry Session. Mr Pradip Mehra, Adviser to the Administrator, presided over the proceedings which were attended by a highly appreciative audience in a hall packed to its capacity.

Prof Manju Jaidka, Chairperson, CSA, made a power-point presentation listing all the activities held during the past year. These included Creative Writing Workshops, Kavi Sammelans, Book Readings, Panel Discussions, Quiz Contests, Literary Discussions, Lectures and Symposia. The CSA has been actively engaged in reaching out to a cross-section of people, involving them in all its events. Highlighting major events of the coming year, Prof Jaidka urged the audience to join the CSA’s efforts in adding vibrancy to the intellectual atmosphere of the city. An illustrated brochure, “Round-Up 2008-2009”, listing the main achievements of the Akademi was presented to Mr Mehra.

The function also marked the release of four anthologies published by the CSA, two in Hindi and two in Punjabi. These anthologies showcase the talent of writers from Chandigarh, compiling their short stories and poems. Their publication is the result of the dedicated effort of a team of editors headed by Dr DS Gupt. In the forthcoming session the CSA proposes to bring out poetry /short story anthologies in English.

The final event of the day, chaired by Principal Dr Harinderjit Kaur, was aptly called “A Gathering of Nightingales”. It brought together a dozen women writers who recited their poems in Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu. A senior poet, Taaran Gujral, in particular, went down extremely well with the audience with her poem on “Titli”. Other women poets who recited their poems included Roopa Saba, Yojana Rawat, Gurdeep Kaur “Gul” and Gurminder Sidhu.

Compered with great dexterity by Mr Madhav Kaushik, Secretary, CSA, and Ms Suchitra, the function was an extremely successful event, rich and satisfying. The audience was highly appreciative of the Round-Up. In fact many of them were heard commenting that such an event made history, being the first of its kind in Chandigarh. The Chief Guest, Mr Mehra, complimented the CSA’s effort to make a difference to the culture of the City and expressed his hope that in the coming years this would be not just a beautiful city built of brick and mortar, but a place where literature, culture and art flourish in abundance.

Round-Up and More!

MEET THE WRITERS

As part of the Chandigarh Arts and Heritage Festival being held by the UT Administration, the Chadnigarh Sahitya Akademi organized a "Meet the Writers" event at the Govt. Arts Museum Auditorium today. Two very well-known writers were brought in from Delhi --Githa Hariharan and Manjula Padmanabhan. They read from their recent works and interacted with the audience over a question and answer session. The event was chaired by Prof M.L. Raina, a well-known and well-loved intellectual from the city.

In conversation with Manjula Padmanabhan was Prof Gulshan Rai Kataria from Punjabi University, Patiala. He introduced the writer to the audience, outlined he main contribution to literature, and asked her questions related to her work. Ms Padmanabhan read from her recent novel, Escape.

Likewise, Githa Hariharan was introduced by Prof Mina Surjit Singh, formerly from Panjab Univeristy, Chandigarh, who synopsized the literary achievements of Githa Hariharan, spoke briefly about the writer's earlier works, and asked her questions on her craft and ideology. Ms Hariharan read from her new book, Fugitive Histories.

The readings and the question answer session turned out to be very absorbing. After the event two writers were thronged by the audience who wanted signed copies of their books. It was evident that the event was enjoyed by one and all.

Prof Rajnish Wattas, Director of TagoreTheatre and Coordinator of the Chandigarh Heritage Program, was also present in audience.

SAMAY SE SAMVAD

In its “Face to Face” programme, Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi organized “Samay Se Samvad: A Dialogue with Time”- a special interface with Padmashree, eminent Hindi poet, novelist and thinker, Prof. Ramesh Chandra Shah at the State Library Hall, Sector 34, Chandigarh on 7 March 2009. The Session was chaired by Prof. Ramakant Angiras, Former Kalidas Professor of Sanskrit, Panjab University, Chandigarh, and the Ramanadachaya Puruskar awardee (2008) for his remarkable contribution to Indian culture and philosophy.

Through the recitation of his poems culled from such volumes as “Kachhue Ki Peeth Par”, “Harishchandra Aao”, “Nadi Bhagati Aaee”, “Chak Par”, “Dekhate Hein Shabda Apana Bhi Samay”, and “Anaagarik” Prof. Ramesh Chandra Shah emphasized the overwhelming challenge a creative writer faces in terms of representing the interaction between her /his “kaal-chetana or time-consciousness” and “kalaa-chetana or creative-consciousness”. This creative encounter between results into an aesthetic dialogue between “word” and “world” , which is enriched by newer and newer combinations of “sabda”, “artha”, “samay”, and “sanskriti” – which are known as “sahitya” in the Indian tradition. Because of this well-entrenched notion of cyclic “Samay or Time” – which is temporal and timeless both, Indian tradition does not suffer from the pathological obsession of the West with “dwanda or conflict” between tradition and modernity or post-modernity.

Prof. Shah said that in no other language of the world, this creative–continuum suggested by “akaal-kaal-kalaa-Kalaakriti-Kalakaar” is found. He quoted lines from his famous poem (Shabda, Batao):- “ Shabda, Batao/Kahana Kya Hai? Shabda, Batao Kahana hai?” and “Rachana/Bach jana Hai/Apane aur tumhare/ Vish ka pach jana hai”. He underlined the literary /art tradition of India which demands an artist/poet to be a “cultural leader- a saanskritic naayak”- whose art and aesthetics should be grounded in the aesthetics of existence. Only by belonging to time, one can go beyond time.

In his presidential remarks, Prof. Ramakant Angiras explained the contours of the Indian literary tradition where “sabda-sadhana” is a sine qua non for being a true writer. He said that the infinite connections between a writer’s “drishti”, “darshan” and “drashya”- are manifest as Kavya or Sahitya.

The session was attended by the leading intellectuals of the city, teachers, research scholars and students who enlivened the event with an interesting “Question-Hour” session. Prof Alok Bhalla, formerly from CIEFL, Hyderabad, now at Jamia Milia and an active member of the national Sahitya Akademi in Delhi, also attended the event. Prof. Sushila Singh, from Banaras Hindu University, and Prof Aneel Raina, Chairperson, Dept Of English, Panjab University,Chandigarh, also graced the occasion with their presence.

Earlier, Sudhir Kumar introduced the speaker, Manju Jaidka (Chairperson, CSA), welcomed the guests. D.S. Gupt (Vice-Chairperson, CSA) delivered the Vote of Thanks.

7th March 2009

CHANDIGARH SAHITYA AKADEMI

INVITES YOU TO


"Samaya Se Samvad: A Dialogue with Time"


Speaker: Prof Ramesh Chandra Shah
(eminent Hindi writer and thinker)

To be chaired by: Prof Ramakant Angiras

Venue: Multi-purpose Hall, First Floor, State Library, Sector 34
on Saturday, March 7, 2009, at 3.30 pm

rsvp: sahitakad2008@gmail.com


(Please join us for an informal interaction with the speaker over a cup of tea at 3.30)

ETHICS AND THE MEDIA

Sahitya Akademi organized a panel discussion on Ethics and the Media at its premises in the State Library of Sector 34. Participating in the event were several lead figures from the media.


Prof Manju Jaidka, Chairperson of the Akademi, welcomed the guests and introduced the main speakers. Chairing the panel was Mr Kanwar Sandhu of Hindustan Times. The main speakers were Ashwini Bhatnagar, Head of the new Voice of India TV Channel in Uttar Pradesh, Nirupama Dutt who now writes for Sunday Indian, Mohanmeet Khosla, the Chairperson of Panjab University's School of Communication Studies, and Dinesh Kumar, erstwhile Resident Editor of TOI, Chandigarh.

Kanwar Sandhu initiated the discussion with an overview of the main issues involved in media ethics. He stressed upon the social responsibility of the media and on the importance of maintaining moral standards.


Ashwini Bhatnagar, who has earlier spent several years in Chandigarh working for the Tribune, was of the opinion that the media is a powerful medium which should remain aware of its rights as well as duties. Nirupama Dutt, who is also a well-known journalist in this region, has been writing and reporting for more than three decades.


Mohanmeet Khosla's was a power-point presentation that highlighted problem areas in journalism career. In particular she spoke passionately about the objectification of womanhood in advertisements and of the sexual disrespect shown towards women. Dinesh Kumar, after completing a sabbatical in Australia, has recently returned to Chandigarh to resume his journalistic career. He talked about the commercialization of news reporting and the fact that information now been combined with entertainment so that now we have ‘infotainment’. The four panelists interacted with the audience in a lively debate, putting forward divergent views on ethical standpoints in the media.

Among the various issues discussed were the hidden agendas behind newspaper reporting, the reasons why a certain kind of news makes headline while another kind may be totally ignored. The audience was also interested in the gaps and silences in media coverage -- why do some events grab the attention of the public? What is the nature of truth represented by the media? How much of influence does the media wield and how is this influence manipulated?
The discussion was followed by a lively interaction with the audience. Like other events of the CSA, this one, too turned out to be interesting, instructive and and intellectually rewarding.

The next CSA event will be a talk by Dr Ramesh Chandra Shah, eminent Hindi writer of Bhopal. It will be held on March 7th, at the same time, same place.

DREAM INTERPRETATION

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi organized a Talk-cum-Presentation on the “Interpretation of Dreams” by Madhu Tandan who is visiting the city to launch her new book Dreams and Beyond: Find Your Way in the Dark.

In a talk illustrated by a power-point presentation, Madhu Tandan, laid emphasis on the multiplicity of the dream experience – scientific, religious, paranormal, and psychological – and the importance of a deeper awareness of our inner selves of which the dreaming state is but an important aspect. She explored the heterogeneity of the dream experience and said that the interpretation of a dream necessitates many different strategies of ‘reading’. In order to know ourselves and our secret universe, we have to know our dreams. Madhu deliberated on various perspectives, including neuroscience, psychology, parapsychology, and spirituality, which give a rounded picture of how our dreams partially determine who we are.

The session was chaired by Prof Mina Surjit Singh, formerly from the Dept of English, Panjab University, Chandigarh, who, in her presidential remarks, emphasized the relevance of ‘dream-reading’ to the study of literature and to literary theory.

The event was attended by eminent intellectuals of the city. Prof Manju Jaidka, Chairperson of the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi, interacted with the audience and announced that the next event, to be held at the Akademi’s premises on the 28th of Feb 2009, from 3.30 to 5.30 pm, will be a panel discussion on “Ethics and the Media” which will be chaired by Mr Kanwar Sandhu of Hindustan Times. The panel will include some eminent journalists and promises interesting fare.

.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

OLDIES GOLDIES

JEEVAN SANDHYA KA KAVYA

OLDIES-GOLDIES, A Trilingual Kavi Sammalen "Jeevan Sandhya Ka Kavya" was organized today in the auditorium of the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi, State Library, Sector 34, Chandigarh.

The theme of the Kavi Sammalen was "Old is Gold" and the event was dedicated to Senior Citizens. Dr. Chandar Trikha a renowned poet, read his poem "Dukhi Mat Ho Mere Bhai"; Janab B.D. Kalia "Hamdam" presented a gazal "Aap ke Kadmaon Se Lipti Hai Bahar/Do Ghadi Mere Bhi Ghar Ho Jayie". The following poets also recited their poems, Dr. Jai Parkash "Bahut cheese hai jo peeche chut gayi"; Dr. KaIlash Ahulwalia "Kayi baras beete jo patar ek maine likha tha tumahre naam"; Dr. Smt. Pannu Parwaj "Din dhal gaye mauj bahara de"; Smt. Ratneev "Je duniya de rang kachare"; Shri. H.S. Nama" Jameena chahe girade tumhe harek nazar se"; Sr. Bhagwant Singh "Sala da hisab kida kariya"; Sr. Manjeet Singh Gill" Phula to yaraa apna daman bachake rakhi"; Col. Surjeet Singh Kafan "Kafan Mar Jayega tu begair Kafan ke"; Smt. Saroj Verma Mukatmala "Mai fatifat waqt ke pal," and Sh. Chaman Lal Sharma "Dhalta Suraj mujhe keh gaya".
The event was chaired by Dr. V. Mehndiratta who has earlier been the Chairman of the Akademi. Dr. D.S. Gupt concluded the event with his poem "Umar Badane ke sath sath virakti ka bhav aane lagta hai".





On Valentine's Day the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi under the Chairmanship of Prof Manju Jaidka, paid a homage to the Senior Citizens through this poetry session which was compered by Shri Madhav Kaushik. It was attended by an enthusiastic group of elderly people.