Lit fest, book fair at Khalsa College, Amritsar, from March 5

Amritsar, March 2

Book lovers have a reason to cheer as the much awaited nine-day-long literacy festival and book fair will start at Khalsa College from March 5.

Governor Banwarilal Purohit will inaugurate the festival which will witness an exhibition of lakhs of books, cultural programmes, flower shows, workshops and literary activities including seminars and discussions.

The Governor will also address students during the college’s 116th Convocation during which hundreds of students would be awarded degrees, said Khalsa College Governing Council (KCGC) honorary secretary Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina.

He said they were looking forward to over 100 publishers from all over the country to exhibit their books in diverse fields in various languages.

The fair is being organised in association with the National Book Trust (NBT), a national body of the Union Ministry of Education.

Principal Mehal Singh said illustrious personality Dr Surjit Patar, chairperson, Punjab Arts Council, Chandigarh, Prof Govind Prasad Sharma, chairman, NBT, Government of India, Yuvraj Malik, director, NBT will visit as special guests.

Yograj, Vice Chairman of Punjab Arts Council, Chandigarh; Lakhwinder Johal, secretary general; Kewal Dhaliwal, president of Punjab Sangeet Natak Academy, will also be the special invitees.

Atam Singh Randhawa, head of Punjabi department, said the 16th edition of Literary Research Magazine “Sanwaad” and the book “Punjab-Search of a Better Future” will be released during the inaugural function.

There will be cultural programmes in which students of cultural department of the college will perform jhoomar, folk poetry, suhaag and ghodian.

A poetry function `Sukhan De Suraj’ will also be held.

Famous poets including Sarabjit Sohal, Gurbhajan Gill, Vijay Vivek, Swaranjit Savi, Jaswant Jaffar, Darshan Buttar, Gurtej Koharwala, Harmeet Vidyarthi, Satish Gulati, Gurpreet Mansa, Swami Antar Nirav, Jagwinder Jodha, Sushil Dosanjh, Jagdeep Sidhu, Wahid and Tanveer will perform the recitals.