PVPF 2024

The Chandigarh Press Club will host the first-ever Journalists Literature Festival on February 23

Experience the first-ever Journalists Literature Festival by Chandigarh Press Club, exploring media, society, and literary endeavors of seasoned journalists.
on Feb 22, 2024

50 senior journalists, authors, and translators from across the country will share their expert perspectives on society via the lens of journalism.

The Chandigarh Press Club, an institution created by journalists for journalists, will conduct the inaugural Journalists' Literature Festival from February 23 to 25 on its premises.

The initiative is the first of its type in the country, with moderators, authors/translators, panellists, and specialists drawn entirely from the journalistic fraternity.

Mr. Sourabh Duggal, President of the Chandigarh Press Club, stated that the inaugural edition of the Journalists Literature Festival intends to exhibit journalists' literary endeavours by providing a venue for them to discuss their books and explore topics impacting society at large.

The subject of the journalists' literature festival is 'by journalists, for society'. The three-day event is open to the public.

Over 50 seasoned journalists from the Chandigarh region (Haryana-Punjab-Chandigarh), Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Kolkata, and Bangalore will attend the three-day event.

The courses will be held in English, Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu.

The first session of the literary festival will be titled Unveiling Valour: Stories of Indian military valour, boldness, and the search for our lost troops. The opening session will feature television journalist Shiv Aroor, co-author of the book series on India's most brave, and independent journalist Chander Suta Dogra, author of 'Missing Soldiers'.

The second session of the first day will discuss the role of translation in spreading information, knowledge, and ideas across linguistic boundaries. Senior journalists Shayda Bano, Davi Davinder Kaur, Chetan Thakur, and Khushboo Sandhu will highlight the need of translation.

The final session of the day will be titled From Poetry to Prose: The Significance of Urdu, Punjabi, and Hindi Literature and Regional Identity. Dr Chander Trikha, Kanwaljit Singh Bainwat, and Manmohan Gupta are seasoned journalists and authors. Moni from Shimla will be the speakers, and Shimla-based journalist Navneet Sharma will host the session.

The seminars will be followed by a 'Kavi Sammelan', in which regional journalists will recite poems.

The second day will begin with a seminar on the evolution of narratives in Hindi journalism from short to long format. The panel will include senior journalists and authors Asha Arpit, Mayank Mishra, and Ranju Arey, with journalist Barinder Singh Rawat moderating the session.

The second part of day two will focus on sports in India, specifically cricket vs. others. The session will feature seasoned cricket journalist Vijay Lokapally, television presenter Vikrant Gupta, and hockey writer Prabhjot Singh, with Umesh Sharma moderating.

It will be followed by a discussion on national and regional politics:

Political narrative in state and national elections: BJP vs opposition. Seasoned journalists Jagtar Singh, Manraj Grerwal, Jatin Gandhi, and Nidhi Sharma will attend the session.

The final session of the second day will be titled Is India-US relationship the most defining partnership of the twenty-first century. Seasoned journalists Ramesh Vinayak, Varghese K George, Rahul Singh, and Jayant Jacob will provide authoritative commentary on the subject.

The second day of the literary festival will feature a musical evening and a tambola game for Chandigarh Press Club members.

The third day will begin with a seminar on fiction writing, titled Mirroring social concerns and developments through fiction. The panellists for the programme include authors Chetna Keer, Aditya Kant, and Sanjay Versain, with renowned journalist Aruti Nayyar moderating.
It will be followed by a seminar on Alternative Media: Strengths and Concerns. Journalists Jupinderjit Singh, Yadwinder Singh, and Srishti Jaswal and and Rajinder Kaur will be part of the panel.

The third session of the third day will focus on cricket and society. The challenge of objectivity in cricket, society, and journalism. The discussion will feature seasoned cricket writers Pradeep Magazine, Sharda Ugra, and Rohit Mahajan.

The last session of the literature festival will focus on women's issues in Indian society. Seasoned journalists and authors Nirupama Dutt, Veenu Sandhu, and Sohini Chattopadhya will take part in the event, which will be moderated by independent journalist Arshdeep Arshi.