Early Times Report
JAMMU, Aug 21: The ongoing 7-Day Multi Lingual Short Story Festival at JKAACL premises in Jammu featured engaging short stories in Punjabi and Pahari languages on its fourth and fifth days. This festival, dedicated to the literary art of storytelling, showcases works in Dogri, Hindi, Punjabi, Gojri, Pahari, and Kashmiri languages, presenting both seasoned and budding writers from the region.
The fourth day of the festival highlighted the richness of Punjabi literature with a total of nine Punjabi stories read by prominent authors, including young aspiring writers. The inaugural session saw writers like Jasmit Singh presenting "Khanabadosh," Manjit Singh Kamra with "Untitled," Amarjit Kour Neer presenting "Vapsi," Prof. Anmole Singh sharing "Mehla Divas," and Smt. Antarjeet Kour narrating "Lala." This session was chaired by Dr. Baljit Singh Raina, Dr. M.K. Waqar Gojri, Popinder Singh Paras, and Dr. Anuradha. In the second session, stories such as Dr. Monojit's "Mukti," Surinder Kaur Neer's "Ram Sunehi," Jang Singh Verman's "Famba," and Dr. Baljit Singh Raina's "Password" were presented. The second session was chaired by Dr. Ashok Kumar and Harjit Singh Uppal, with Jang Singh Verman. Both sessions were conducted by Dr. Anuradha, and Dr. Shahnawaz, Editor Cum Cultural officer, Gojri, offered the vote of thanks.
The fifth day of the festival showcased compelling Pahari short stories. The session commenced with a warm welcome by Dr. Shahnawaz, Editor Cum Cultural officer, Gojri, on behalf of Secretary JKAACL Sh. Bharat Singh. Notable writers, including Sheikh Azad, Ghazanfar Hokar, Javaid Haqani, Altfa Janjua, Shamas Ud Din Shaz, Sheikh Zahour, Saleem Akhter, and Mohd Farooq, presented their thought-provoking Pahari stories. The session was graced by Sh. Anil Saigal, Senior Journalist and Dogri Writer, as the chief guest, and Sheikh Azad Ahmad, Veteran Pahari writer, as the guest of honor. Altaf Hussain Janjua conducted the proceedings, and Mrs. Reeta Khadyal, Assistant Editor, JKAACL, presented the vote of thanks.
The festival, which began on August 17, will continue until August 23, 2023, featuring daily sessions starting from 10:30 a.m onwards and open to all. On August 22, writers in the Kashmiri language will present their short stories, adding further cultural diversity to this literary extravaganza. |
