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Guest Column: Military lit fest is back with a bounce
Seventh edition of the Military Literature Festival is all set to go on floor at the iconic Sukhna Lake Club. In its last offline event in 2019, MLF had clocked a footfall of over 1 lakh visitors
The Military Literature Festival (MLF, Chandigarh) will go live with its seventh edition at the iconic Sukhna Lake Club on December 3 and 4.
The event, which is one of its kind, came about as a joint initiative of the Punjab government, Chandigarh administration and Western Command headquarters at Chandimandir. It was inaugurated with much fanfare in 2017.
The festival was conceived with the dual aim of sensitising the people, especially the youth, of the rich ethos and traditions of bravery, valour and spirit of sacrifice of the Indian Armed Forces, and to bring to the centre stage issues of strategic and military importance, ably debated as they are by minds of national and international repute. Thus, the event spreads a whiff of patriotism, apprises the layman of life in the services and puts up intellectually enriching sessions. A number of sporting and adventure activities are also part of the festival.
In its last offline event in 2019, the festival had clocked a footfall of over 1 lakh visitors. Over the last two years, the festival was held online, with an equally endearing viewership.
MLF 2022: Pre-events
The first event as a precursor to the main festival is the motorcycle brave heart rally on November 27 to commemorate the martyrs of Saragarhi and the 1962 Sino-Indian war. Around 600 riders shall traverse the length and breadth of the tricity to salute the brave hearts who laid down their lives in these two campaigns. An invitational golf tournament is also planned at the Chandigarh golf club .
Two days of intellectual stimulation
The main fest starts on December 3 with UT administrator and Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit, a patron of the festival, declaring the event open. Over two days, the attendees will be treated to intellectually stimulating panel discussions, book releases and interactions, display of latest military equipment , martial dances, military painting displays, book stalls, a philately exhibition and of course, mouth-watering pan-India cuisines at the food court.
An e-book release on the Russia-Ukraine war during the opening ceremony will be followed by a panel discussion, comprising serving and retired military officers, diplomats, writers and authors, who will take up the cudgelsto bring to the audiences the nuances of the ongoing conflict and its fallout.
A session titled, ‘In history, those nations that have endured have won’ will bring out the resilient ‘never say die spirit’ that engulfs Indians. A panel on China and the emerging world order will highlight Chinese relations and international equations, especially with the Chinese president Xi Jinping in the saddle for a fresh term. As Lt Gen Harwant Singh , a senior cavalry veteran often remarks, “Truth is the first casualty in war.” Key battles in the defence of Srinagar, Asal Uttar and the Battle of Longewala would revive memories of bravery, valour and sacrifice of our soldiers.
The line up for the second day includes some engrossing discussions on ‘Ethos of soldiering in India’, ‘Relevance of aircraft carriers in power projection’ and of course a discussion on ‘Instability in Pakistan and its effect on India.’
The closing session will be on the ‘Relevance of Bhagat Singh’s ideology, beliefs and legacy in the present times’. This discussion in Punjabi will include leading literary figures of the region. Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann is also likely to take part in the discussion, before he presides over the closing ceremony.
There will be some enthralling sessions on books such as Ramesh Inder Singh’s Turmoil In Punjab: Before and After Blue Star: An Insider’s Account, Lt General Dalip Singh’s Pratirodh: The Resistance, Arun Bhatnagar’s Orphaned at Freedom - A Subcontinent’s Tale, and Ajay Singh India’s Battlefields: From Kurukshetra to Balakot and many more.
The panel of speakers includes Admirals Sunil Lanba (retired), vice-admiral Anup Singh (retd), vice-admiral Girish Luthra, vice-admiral Anil Kumar Chawla (retired), Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi (retd), Lt General Praveen Bakshi (retd), major general Raj Mehta (retd), Lt Gen BS Jaswal (retd), Lt Gen Kamal Jit Singh (retd), Lt Gen Kamal Davar (retd), Maj Gen GD Bakshi (retd), Lt Gen S L Narasimhan (Retd). Maj Gen PJS Sandhu, Lt Gen (retd) Jiti Bajwa, Maj Yash Mor (retd), and Lt Gen DDS Sandhu (retd). Air Cmde Nitin Sathe (retd) will discuss the Battle of Longewala.
Some celebrated civilian speakers include IAF officer Vijay Gokhale, authors Jabin T Jacob, RK Kaushik, Sushant Sareen,Shalini Chawla, Manpreet Mehnaaz, and professors Chaman Lal, Ishwar Dayal Gaur, Harjeshwar Pal Singh, and Sukhdev Singh Sohal.
In the words of Lt Gen TS Shergill, MLF Association chairperson, “This year’s MLF promises to be a perfect treat for the discerning and the fun-loving alike”.
(The writer is a core group member of the MLF Association, Chandigarh)
