The second edition of the Dharamsala Literature Festival concluded at the government college auditorium here today.
During the first session today, former Inspector General of Special Forces Gurdip Singh Uban, during a conversation with Mandi SP Saumya Sambasivan, said there was need to create literature describing the valour of Indian soldiers in various wars and operations related to national security.
Uban said, “Indian soldiers have shown exemplary valour in wars and operations related to national security. These stories need to be told to the younger population of the country so that they take pride in themselves and follow the role models.”
Uban is the son of the founder of Indian Special Forces late Major General Sujan Singh Uban.
Author Neelesh Kulkarni, in conversation with Manish Jain, talked on the topic “Are myths for real”. The core of myths might be based on reality, but these continued to be myths, he said.
Aashisha Charaborty, a young author from Delhi, engaged in conversation with Mubarak Sandhu about her recently launched book “Get Set Go”. She said the book was a work of fiction in which a salesgirl shared her experiences with various kinds of people.
Harinder Cheema, Col VP Singh and Dr Mandeep Prakash engaged in a conversation with Dr Roshan Sharma from the Central University of Himachal Pradesh (CUHP) over poetry.
Tibetan author Bhuchung D Sonam engaged in a conversation with Tenphun over his book Tibetan Odyssey.
Rekha Dadwal and Dev Hindvi Janmajay Guleria engaged in a conversation with Sunaini Guleria Sharma over the subject of “preserving our cultural identity”. Rekha Dadwal talked about the richness of hill dialects and the need to preserve these via documentation.
In the evening, a writing workshop was conducted for the local youth and children by Neelesh Kulkarni, Mubarak Sandhu and Kuldeep Singh Chandpuri.
Kangra Deputy Commissioner Nipun Jindal said the second edition of the festival evoked a lot of interest among the local people, tourists and students. It was encouraging that a large number of students participated in almost all sessions of the festival. He also thanked Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation Chairman RS Bali for announcing a financial support of Rs 5 lakh for the event.
Former Rajya Sabha member Viplove Thakur also attended the festival today.
