Chandigarh lit fest begins with launch of book on Ratan Tata
The 12th edition of Chandigarh Literature Festival ‘Literati 2024’ opened on a musical note on Friday evening with Aaghaaz — Shaam-E-Ghazal, featuring the renowned artiste Kanwar Jagmohan. The literature extravaganza began with another captivating musical performance by Pt Subhash Ghosh. Set against the tranquil backdrop of Sukhna Lake, the festival, organised by the Chandigarh Literary Society, seamlessly blends the natural beauty of the landscape with literary brilliance.
The first session, ‘The Legend Lives On – A Man Called: Ratan Tata’ opened to a full house. Not only the session paid homage to the ace industrialist and philanthropist who passed away recently, it also discussed in detail the snippets from his life. His biographer and retired bureaucrat Thomas Mathew launched his book ‘Ratan N. Tata: A Life’.
In another session, authors Navtej Sarna and Kishwar Desai talked on ‘Punjab: The Jallianwala Bagh Tragedy and the Narratives Around it’. Desai described her book as an ode to those who lost their lives and to the resilience of the people of Punjab, emphasising that the massacre was part of a larger British crackdown on uprisings in cities like Lahore and Gujranwala. Sarna, the author of historical fiction ‘Crimson Spring’, which also covers the horrors April 13, 1919, shared how he balanced real events and historical figures with fiction to explore the far-reaching consequences of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. He highlighted that his book is set against the backdrop of the Ghadar movement and the Rowlatt Act.
Durring session ‘Voices of Valour: Stories of Bravehearts,’ General Ian Cardozo spoke about the fear instilled in Pakistani troops during the 1971 war by the humble Khukri and recalled the incident when he had to sever his own leg after a landmine blast. “I wrote ‘Cartoos Saab: A Soldier’s Story of Resilience in Adversity’ to tell people what we in the Indian Army do to protect the nation,” he said.
Poets, Randhir Uppal, Wahid Khadial and Jassi Sangha discussed the evolving landscape of Punjabi poetry in the session dedicated to young poets and Punjabi language. Their books were also launched. Another session on poetry, Ink and Imagination: Crafting Poetic Worlds, featured IAS officer Sumita Misra.
Lawyers Pinky Anand and Saudamini Sharma shared the stage on the topic of key legal milestones in India’s history. The first day culminated with Bollywood actor Tusshar Kapoor’s session ‘Daddy in the Driver’s Seat: A Single Father’s Experiences’.
