CULTURE

Plays mark World Theatre Day
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, March 27
The local Rang Manch Sansthan, in collaboration with the Kendriya Punjabi Rangmanch Sabha and Punjabi Sahitya Akademi, is celebrating World Theatre Day. A two-day seminar and festival of plays was opened in this connection yesterday. Today, ‘role of women in Punjabi theatre’ was discussed at the seminar. Two papers were presented by Dr Kamlesh Uppal and Dr Satish Kumar Verma.

Ms Neena Tiwana, wife of Mr Harpal Tiwana, Ms Nirmal Rishi, Mr Kewal Dhaliwal, Principal Prem Singh, Dr S.N. Sewak addressed the audience at a seminar on theatre.

Professor J.L. Kaushal, Dr Harcharan Singh, Mr Gursharan Singh, Mr C.L. Ahuja, Dr Atamjit, and Dr Ajmer Aulak participated in the seminar.

Yesterday, a manch was organised to promote theatre activities under the chairmanship of Mr Nahar Singh Gill, Mayor, Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana.

The manch took out a torchlight procession led by Mr Nahar Singh Gill, from the Jagraon bridge.

In the evening, three plays were staged: Rishte by Dr S.N. Sewak, a play of the Ludhiana Kala Manch, Chidi di Ambar Wal Udan of Anita Sandish from Suchet Rangmanch, Mohali and Kangiyani directed by Trilochan Panesar, from Rang Manch Rang Nagri, Ludhiana, were well received by the audience.

Jashn-e-Sahir tomorrow
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 27
The Adeeb International (Sahir Cultural Academy) in association with the Nehru Sidhant Kender Trust is organising 31st annual Jashn-e-Sahir-2003 on Saturday, March 29, in the Panday Auditorium, Feroze Gandhi Market, Ludhiana. Besides, presentation of annual Sahir and Adeeb International Awards to eminent personalities an All-India Mushaira will also be held on this occasion in which a galaxy of Urdu poets from all over India and abroad will be participating.

Dr Kewal Dheer, an eminent writer and general secretary of the Adeeb International disclosed that film star Vinod Khanna and eminent poet Nida Fazli have been chosen for the Sahir Award- 2003.

This year’s annual Adeeb International Awards are being presented to Hari Jaisingh (Editor, The Tribune), Sunil Kant Munjal (President, Ludhiana Sanskritik Samagam), Rakesh Bharti Mittal (Vice-President, Nehru Sidhant Kender Trust) and Satish Babbar (a noted ghazal singer).

Sahir and Adeeb International Awards are presented to eminent people in recognition of their distinctly qualitative service and outstanding contribution to literature, art culture and journalism. The awards carry a gold medal, citation and a plaque. These prestigious awards were instituted in the year 1978 and have since been awarded to a number of personalities of eminence in various fields who include Shabana Azmi, Sunil Dutt, Shatrughan Sinha, Raj Babbar, Ramanand Sagar, B.R. Chopra, writers Ali Sardar Jafri, Javed Akhtar, Kartar Singh Duggal, Qateel Shifai, Journalists Prem Bhatia, Vijay Chopra, Yunus Dehlvi and many others.

Dr Dheer revealed that Jashn-e-Sahir is held annually to celebrate Sahir Ludhianvi’s birth anniversary in the month of March and its main attraction is the All-India Mushaira, which is largely attended by poetry lovers from far-off places in North India and a galaxy of Urdu poets from all over India and abroad.

This year, on the occasion of 82nd birth anniversary of the great poet, the poetry lovers will enjoy mushaira by well-known participating poets like Nida Fazli (Mumbai), Rahat Indori (Mumbai), Manzar Bhopali (Bhopal), Mauj Rampuri (Delhi), Rahi Shahabi (Jaipur), Popular Meeruti (Meerut), Moein Shadab (Delhi), Shakil Jamali (Bijnore), Tufail Chaturvedi (Noida), Sohail Lucknavi (Agra), Gulzar Amrit (guest poet from London), Ms Nasim Nikhat (Lucknow), Ms Yasmin Mehak (Delhi), Ms Ekta Shabnam (Kota), Ms Hena Temoori (Agra), Ms Ana Dehlvi (Kanpur) and Ms Rehana Shaheen (Aligarh).

Mr Y.P.S. Bhalla, President of the Adeeb International, said another mega event of Punjabi culture will be organised in the middle of every year and the first such programme will be devoted to great Punjabi poet Shiv Batalvi. He said Adeeb International is a society which has been working for the promotion of arts and culture and these faculties have no language but only Punjabiat.