JKAACL organises ‘Meet the Author’ event with poet Pritpal Betab

writer and the audience.

"These interactions shall aid the exploration of various life aspects and works which act as creative inspiration for the writers," skill," Singh said in his address. He said that JKAACL has started this initiative to promote direct interaction with the authors whom we have read in books.

JKAACL said.

Jammu, June 7 (IANS) The Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages (JKAACL) organised a 'Meet-the-Author' programme at its premises in Jammu on Wednesday.

JKAACL said that it hosted Urdu ghazal writer and poet Pritpal Singh Betab, who "shared his journey of literature with the audience".

The initiative intends to have a direct interaction between a

It said that under the initiative, the JKAACL shall host and meet authors of seven different languages: Urdu, Hindi, Kashmiri, Dogri, Punjabi, Gojri, and Pahari.

"The event will be held every weekend," JKAACL said.

The 'Meet-the-Author' initiative was launched under JKAACL Secretary Bharat Singh.

"Authors are the face of society. They represent the inner thoughts of the social fabric through their ink, and it is indeed a special

"This would enable the audience to know about their life, literary intellect, and the struggle they faced. It shall be a source of inspiration for all," he said.

Singh said that it is a priceless opportunity to interact with these authors/writers and learn from their literary journeys.

The dignitaries and writers at the event included Padamshree Jitender Udhampuri, Ahmed Shanas, besides renowned poets and authors of other languages.

12th edition of Drukyul Literature Festival scheduled for August 4-6

Bhutan Echoes, the literary festival in Bhutan venue and several pop-up art exhibitions, music performances, interactive workshops, spokenword open mic nights, poetry readings, and film screenings will be organised.

('Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom'), French artist Benjamin Flouw known for his children's books on nature, Geetanjali Shree, author of the first novel translated from an Indian language to win the International Booker Prize, Binod Chaudhary.

By IANSlife

June 09, 2023 (IANSlife) Bhutan

Echoes, the literary festival in Bhutan has announced the return of Drukyul's Literature Festival (DLF) for its 12th edition with the theme 'Reconnecting and Reviving'.

From August 4 to 6, festival-goers can expect a lineup of over 35 inperson sessions and programmes celebrating the rich tapestry of literature, art, and culture.

The Royal University of Bhutan auditorium will be the festival

This year's festival aims not only to provide an escape into the realm of stories but also to explore the pressing issues we all confront in this new reality. From redefining travel and rebuilding human connections post-pandemic to addressing environmental concerns, the economy, and holistic well-being, DLF 2023 offers something for everyone.

The author line-up includes Vikas Swarup, Pawo Choyning Dorji (writer, and director of Bhutan's first Oscar-nominated film

Previous festival directors and producer Namita Gokhale, writer, publisher, and director of Jaipur Literature Festival, Mita Kapur, writer and CEO of Siyahi, and Pramod Kumar KG, Managing Director of Eka Archiving Services, will also attend the festival.

(This article is website exclusive and cannot be reproduced without the permission of IANSlife)

A Kargil War memoir of a wounded war hero’s wife

India owes its victory in the Kargil War of 1999 to the brave soldiers of its Army as well as the fighter pilots of the Air Force and the barely-acknowledged Navy.

And as the soldiers fought on the frontiers -- uncertain about their unimaginable fates -- they left behind their families, particularly their wives, who fought just as hard in their private war of nerves.

Shikha Akhilesh Saxena, wife of Capt Akhilesh Saxena, a Kargil war veteran, launched her book 'Nation First' (Hachette) on Sunday, June 4, at Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi. This book is an account of the tumult and agony, as well as of grit and resilience, of an Army wife fighting her worst fears while her husband serves the nation in uniform, not knowing if she will ever get to see him again, or what the next phone call might convey.

Capt Akhilesh Saxena and Shikha were a newly wedded couple when he left for the war. They had been married for only two months and the Captain had not told his family that he would be headed for Kargil.

The artillery officer distinguished himself in the battles of Tololing, the Hump and Three Pimples, but the injuries he sustained in the line of duty had him hospitalised for a year, where he repeatedly underwent surgeries until he was well enough to go back home, but never again to the Army.

Coming from a civilian background, the author drew strength from fellow army wives, and said that although "without the stars on her shoulders, the Army wife stands equally in responsibility with her husband."

Gracing the occasion were General (Retd) Ved Prakash

Malik, Chief of Army Staff during the Kargil War who has written the book's foreword, his wife Dr Ranjana Malik who was the then president of the Army Wife Welfare Association, and Air Chief Marshal (Retd) Birender Singh Dhanoa, who led his fighter squadron to carry out daring night-time raids on the enemy which eventually tilted the war in India's favour.

Gen Malik called the book "unique", explaining that "this is a story of a young Captain who narrates exactly what happened. Most books are written on those who never returned. But this is an authentic, first-hand account."

Dr Ranjana Malik's comments on the role of Army wives were insightful and presented a glimpse of their resilience that kept the entire community of soldiers, both on the war front and away in their homes, going.

Breaking the caste barrier, ex-Canadian Premier

Chandigarh, May 22 (IANS)

A hard critic of the Khalistan movement and the survivor of a brutal attack in Vancouver in 1985, this 76-year-old former Canada's British Columbia premier of Punjab origin, who first emigrated to Britain at the age of 18 and then to Canada, has pain for a Dalit, the curse of the caste system. For Ujjal Dosanjh, born to a Jat Sikh family of landowners, racism and casteism, both man's inhumanity to man, still exist unabated in the 21st century. In his debut 256-page novel, 'The Past is Never Dead', published by Speaking Tiger, Dosanjh told IANS on Monday that casteism is still a reality among the diaspora. The fiction is the escape of father and son to Britain in 1940s and 1950s to escape the shadow of caste discrimination which clings to their compatriots and bruises the family lives.

"The novel is a glimpse of racism with focus on caste. The castebased discrimination is not only prevalent among the first generation of Indian diaspora but also persists in the hearts and minds of the second or third generation," he told IANS, adding: "You can leave India behind, but not your caste."

It's about how caste is inseparable from an Indian life in many cases. "It does not matter what faith you are, what region you have come from, the caste follows."

Although progressive-minded, both Hindus and Sikhs, claim they are free of this social evil, it is still practiced covertly or overtly, not only in India but across the globe.

It is a critique of the distorted reality of Sikh immigrants who revere their sacred text but conveniently forget the tenets of Bhagat Ravidas enshrined therein. The novel is the life story of a young untouchable child whose father leaves India in 1942 for