Chandigarh : Aazaad Foundation [Regd] and World Literature India organised the Festival of Words: 4th International Literature Summit and World Poetry Conference at Hotel Oyster, Chandigarh from 6 to 7 Nov. 2022, in which 70 poets from different parts of the world participated. The scholars, poets and educationists hailing from India and abroad put their heads and hearts together to debate the issues relating to the “Dwindling human values in contemporary times and the role of Literature”.
The Keynote Address was delivered by noted scholar and internally acclaimed author, Dr. Harish Narang, former Chair, Dept. of English, Jawahar Lal Nehru University, New Delhi. Dr. Maja Herman Sekulic, a Serbian-US poet, who is one of the top ranking poets of the world, and who has been awarded and recognized worldwide, was the Conference Chair while Dr. Basudeb Chakraborti [Kolkata-US] was the Chairman of the Org Committee. Dr Bhagirath Choudhary was the Chief Guest. Local poets and leading literary figures like Prof. Brahm Jagdish Singh, Dr. I.D. Singh, Sh. Vinod Khanna and Col. D.S. Cheema also graced the occasion.
In their presentations, the scholars and poets made a scathing attack on the society for its falling ethical benchmarks, venting their ire over rising crime against women, her status in society, the rising threat of AI [artificial intelligence] etc. and war. The emphasis was on creating positive literature. More than two dozen University and College teachers and research scholars presented their papers on multiple themes.
The function saw the world premier of 25 books by as many authors, notable among them were Dr. Dalvinder Singh Grewal, [five books on Sikh religion], Sh.Raj Babu Gandham, [Beats], Dr. Laksmisree Banerjee,[Pheonix and Where Rustling Leaves Laugh and Cry ] Dr. Bina Singh,(Pighalte Lamhe) Dr Kiran Preet [The Magical Necar] and Ashu Garg [Ration for the Soul], Dr. Molly Joseph [Voice over the Waves] Shalini Yadav, Dr. Manjeet Rathee, Harinder Cheema, M.A. Rathore’s three books, Bhanwar Lal Jat [ Two and Two make Five] Dr. J.S. Anand [Earthlings [ed by Dr. Sumedha Bhandari], The Ultronic Age, The Netherworld, The Real Corporate [ed by Dr. Brad Aron Modlin, USA], The Point Counter Point, a working dedicated to Italian Nobel Laureate Grazia Deledda and Dr. Manminder Singh Anand edited Critical Review of Anand’s The Mahakaal Trilogy.
Keynote Speaker Dr. Harish Narang, and Maja Herman Sekulic were conferred International Award: Wizard of Words, while Dr. Molly Joseph and Dr. Laksmisree Banerjee received the Master of Alphabet Award. Dr. Yash Pal Sharma, former Dean Academic Affairs, Punjabi University, Patiala, was felicitated with Lifetime Achievement Award in Art and Culture and Prof. Randhir Gautam, received the Aazaad International Award in Cosmic Consciousness and Social Harmony. Sh. Balachandran Nair, a poet from Kerala, was conferred the Master of Alphabet award for his extensive work in the rural areas of Kerala among young students, giving wings to the literary culture among the youngsters.
Dr. Anand appreciated the efforts made by the World Ambassadors of Goodwill namely Hela Tekali [Tunisia], Eva Lainus Petropolou [Greece] Dr. Stella Theresa Luna [Philipines] Maria Teresa [Italy], Tariq Muhammad [USA] and Mirzana Pasic Koderic from Bosnia Herzegovina. Dr. Bajram Redzepagic [Australia], Dr. Armeli Quezon [USA] and Sh. Ashok Bhargava [Canada] received honourable mention for their literary achievements.
In the international section, Greek poet Angeliki Zevgolati recited the Cosmic Anthem composed by Dr. Anand, followed by the presentations of Dr. Aprilia Zank [Univ. Of Munich, Germany], Dr. George Only [Egypt] , Dr. Nizar Sartawi [Jordan] Dr. Marlene Pasini [Mexico] Dr. Eva Lianou Petropoulou [Greece] Franca Colozzo, [Italy], and a few international scholars.
Welcoming the guests, Dr. Jernail Singh Anand, President of the Conference referred to the central issues to be addressed by the scholars. Dr.Parneet Jaggi [Rajasthan] hosted the entire programme, admirably, assisted by co-anchors. Dr. Lalit Mohan Sharma, Dr Molly Joseph, Prof. Brahm Jagdish Singh, Dr. Bina Singh, Sh. Mukul Kumar were among the notable poets and scholars who addresses the gathering.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jernail_Singh_Anand?
