25th Asiad Literature Festival held at IIC, Delhi
By Our Staff Reporter
NEW DELHI, 18 Mar: The 25th Asiad Literature Festival, organised by the Bharat Nirman Foundation, was successfully held at India International Centre, here, on Sunday. The event featured insightful discussions across multiple sessions on topics like literature, politics, cinema, and the contribution of women to national progress.
The key highlights were:
Literary Discussions – The opening session focused on “India – Past, Present, and Future”, in which Padma Shri awardee Dr Mohsin Wali, Dr Amarendra Khatua, Keshav Murari Das, and Amit Kumar engaged in a thought-provoking discussion, responding to sharp questions posed by Sadhvi Pragya Bharti.
Poetry Session – The second session saw intense poetry recitation, in which Minister of State SP Singh Baghel couldn’t resist joining in with his own satirical compositions. Accompanying him were poets Dr Devendra Dhodawat, Amandeep, Shweta Azal, Lovelyna Labroo, and Mukul Kumar. Renowned poet and lyricist Alok Srivastava captivated the audience with his words. The session was moderated by Dr Amna Mirza.
Cinema & Entertainment – The third session delved into films, with Satish Sharma as the moderator. Panelists Shaan Mishra and Karan Khandelwal shared interesting insights, and the audience was thrilled by the presence of celebrated actor Anil George, who energised the gathering with his famous dialogues.
Women’s Contribution to National Progress – In the final session, Sadhvi Pragya Bharti led the discussion, while Pooja Nagdev, Smriti Rastogi, and Charu Pragya shared their perspectives. Special guests included Dr Janice Darbari (Consul General of Montenegro in India) and Kiran Chopra (Director, Punjab Kesari). Dr Seema Mida also launched her book during this session.
Literary Excellence Awards – The Bharat Nirman Foundation honoured several achievers with the Literary Excellence Awards, including Amit Kumar (Manifestation Coach); Deepak Chaurasia (Journalism); Mukul Kumar, Dr Devendra Kumar Dhodawat, Alok Srivastava, Amandeep Chadha, Pankaj Kumar Singh, Dr Shweta Azal (Poetry); Lovelyna Labroo (Music); Dr Ashwani Gupta (Medicine); Shaan Mishra, Karan Khandelwal (TV & Films); Adarsh Suyal, Aarohi Khurana (Influencers); Satish Sharma (Films & Journalism).
Women Empowerment Awards were – Legendary Empowered Woman of the Year: Kiran Chopra (Social Reformer); Empowered Women of the Year: Parname Bhagwati, Vidya Shah, Dr Suryasanta Mohanty, Maya Kulshrestha, Anjali Kalia, Adya Kumar, Dr Sonu Gupta, Charu Pragya, Smriti Rastogi, Pooja Nagdev, Asma Gulzar, Suman Kapoor, Manisha Singh, and Shalini Kapoor Tiwari.
The Chief Guests at the Awards Ceremony were Minister of State Dr Raj Bhushan Choudhary (Jal Shakti) and SP Singh Baghel (Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development & Panchayati Raj).
Actor Anil George and the Director of Chetak Group, Sachin JKS Haritash, were also felicitated on the occasion by the ministers.
The festival was successfully organised by Bharat Nirman Foundation Chairman, Ravindra Bhandari, and Chief Advisor, Sanskriti Bhandari.
