‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ to reverberate at 4th Military Lit Fest

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 17

The fourth edition of the Military Literature Festival (MLF) will kick off tomorrow, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh delivering the inaugural address virtually. Other prominent speakers during the inaugural address include Governor of Punjab VP Singh Badnore, former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir NN Vohra, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and Western Command General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Lt Gen RP Singh.

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Formally launching the festival here today, Lt Gen TS Shergill (retd), Senior Adviser to the Punjab Chief Minister, said the theme of the MLF this year was ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’, as both were motivational figures in society.

Earlier during the day, Subedar Maj Yogendra Yadav of the Grenadiers, who was decorated with highest gallantry award Param Vir Chakra for his action during the capture of Tiger Hill in the 1999 Kargil War, discussed the battle in an online samvad and also spoke about his life and experiences in the Army.

Due to restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the festival is being conducted virtually this time. Lt Gen Shergill said panel discussions and other events were being broadcast livethrough popular social media platforms for a global audience. Some events held as a prelude to the festival have already recorded 16 lakh views on social media.

There would be 12 panel discussions by experts during the three-day event focused on contemporary strategic and geopolitical topics. The opening day would see discussions on sabre-rattling in Ladakh, Chinese air power capabilities and the deep states in India and Pakistan.

A separate session, ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’, is being organised to discuss issues related to the soldier and the farmer that will include prominent political leaders from the region.

Emerging Indo-Pacific naval alliance, self-reliance towards defence preparedness and military leadership are other topics to be taken up during the panel discussions in addition to deliberations on books and highlights on the newly inducted Rafale fighter aircraft, Siachen operations and the legacy of the Gurkha soldiers. The Western Command Headquarters will present a curtain raiser on the 1971 India-Pakistan war.

Former service chiefs Gen VP Malik, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, Admiral Arun Prakash, Admiral Sunil Lanba and Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne; and Members of Parliament Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari, Rakesh Sinha, Mahua Moitra and Rajeev Chandrasekhar would be among the speakers at the event. Ram Madhav, Lt Gen DS Hooda, Lt Gen SS Mehta, Vivek Katju, Kanwal Sibal, Shyam Saran, Dr C Rajamohan, Gul Panag, Mona Ambegaonkar, David Scott, Dr Christine Fair and Andrew Erikson will also take part in the discussions.

The literature festival is an annual event conducted by the Punjab Government and the Western Command to honour and commemorate the legendary bravery and sacrifices of Indian soldiers and also to bring on to a common platform experts to deliberate on contemporary military, security and geopolitical issues.