CSA at the Book fair on 17th Nov.
The main hall at the Chandigarh Book Fair was once again the hub of literary activity which commenced early in the morning and continued all day. Most of the activities were hosted by the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi, beginning with book launches and author interactions.
It seems as though the residents of Chandigarh are becoming more and more creative day by day, judging from the number of books being published in the city. There are established writers coming up with new titles and also emerging new voices joining the literary chorus.
Pam Handa, who has moved to Chandigarh recently, launched her book of poems in English: "Kismet and Karma". Subhash Sharma has translated Madhav Kaushik's Hindi poems into Punjabi and published them as "Parat aao Paarth". Anant Sharma has published Hindi poems under title "Kabhi Khatam nahi hoti Kavita." These titles, among others were released at the Book Fair this morning. Charandeep Singh and Ekum Manuk brought out their debut books. The Ahmadiya Society came up with a book on world peace.
The special guest of the day, poet and journalist Parminderjeet Singh released all these titles and then engaged the audience in a discussion of poetry, reciting some of his moving poems to an appreciative gathering. It was indeed another busy day of the CSA but everyone in the packed hall seemed to enjoy the sessions.
In the evening there was an interactive session with the very young and successful writer Sachin Garg who belongs to the rapidly burgeoning tribe of talented MBA graduates who combine their literary talent with marketing strategies. Sachin has published several bestsellers till date and is now a full-time writer. Engaged in a lively conversation with Meenu Gupta, he talked about the ideas that trigger his imagination, the need to be disciplined in one's writing habits, as also his passion for travelling and his love for people.
Sachin came across as a very amiable young man with starry dreams in his eyes and a confidence to see his dreams turn into reality. Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi wishes him luck in his future enterprises.
The evening session marked the last of CSA events at the Book Fair. The Valedictory function will be held tomorrow and then it will be curtains on the event that has caused a giant ripple in this City Beautiful!
Thank you, UT Administration & NBT, for providing this delightful treat to all book lovers!
Photographs taken today are being posted on CSA Facebook.
