Come December 7, the picturesque Lake Club, located on the banks of the Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh, will witness a unique showcase of intellectual and military excellence as part of India’s first Military Literature Festival (MLF).A joint initiative of the Punjab Government and the Chandigarh Administration, the Festival, to be held from December 7 to 9, 2017, will be preceded by a series of exciting activities spread over nearly a month.
This pioneering initiative, being patronized by Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore and Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, will bring together Indian and foreign literary luminaries from the field of defence, while showcasing the history and capabilities of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force. The Festival also seeks to honour and commemorate the legendary bravery and sacrifices of our ancestors.The event will highlight the best of India’s military might through literature, art, music, photography, seminars/discussions, and more. Some of the country’s top defence experts, thinkers, authors, writers, poets, publishers and media personalities will be participating in the event, which also seeks to foster Punjab’s rich cultural heritage.The actual event will be preceded by an Arts & Photo competition and Military Parleys for harnessing the huge talent base and expertise of ex-servicemen, available in Punjab, to give an edge to the final activities.
Focused on creating awareness among the people, especially children, about the defence history and accomplishments of the country, the Festival will see over 1200 school children, drawn mainly from rural areas surrounding the Tri-city, revelling in the festivities and engaging in a `Samvad’ with war veterans on 8th and 9th November.The Festival is being organised as a no-profit venture, with income, if any, from the sale of mementos/ souvenirs etc. to be invested in the welfare activities for defence and ex-defence personnel, war veterans and war widows.A total of 18 committees have been set up to ensure smooth conduct of the Festival, which will be open to all, free of cost, through a simple registration process. The security and traffic forces of both Punjab and Chandigarh are also working in close collaboration to ensure hassle-free movement for members of the public, as well as the VIPs, expected to attend in large numbers.The Festivities surrounding the main event will kick-start with a Polo Match in Patiala on Saturday (November 11, 2017). The inaugural ceremony, to be attended by the Punjab Governor and the Chief Minister, along with senior defence officials, will take place on November 8, 2017. Panel discussions, band displays, motorcycle rides and displays, Air Force flypast, Horse show jumping, Watermanship display by Naval Marcos are among the major attractions of the event, which will also have an exciting culinary variety and cultural extravaganza to entertain the visitors.
MLF Logo
With the Dharam Chakra and a book to symbolise the confluence of military and literature at its centre, the MFL logo brings together elements from all the three defence services of India to underscore the amalgamation of their spirit. The Air Force wings in the middle on both sides, with the Army Lancers (in Red over White to signify Death Over Dishonour) above and the Naval anchor at the bottom, are held together by a scroll on which `Military Literature Festival’ is scripted. The Sikh helmet at the top of the logo has been chosen to underline the contribution of Punjab region, which has witnessed the maximum conflicts in the world, to India’s military might.
Key Themes
The themes for the panel discussions have been meticulously chosen to capture the complete gamut of Indian military, as well as literary achievements and landmarks, along with some general topics of global interest. The topics cover the major wars of post-Independence India, the military persona from ancient to modern times, the various military expeditions, the prominent military operations (including Kargil, Kashmir, UN Peacekeeping), diplomacy and military humour, threat assessment, military culture, machinery, among others.
Key Participants
Besides the Punjab Governor and Chief Minister, Lt Gen Surinder Singh – GOC-in-C, Western Command, Lt Gen TS Shergill (Senior Adivsor to CM) and prominent media personalities VirSanghvi, Shekhar Gupta, BarkhaDutt and Rahul Bedi will be among the key speakers and participants in the panel discussions, to be spread over two days (December 8-9) across two sites at the main venue.Several prominent Indian and foreign authors and defence experts have already confirmed their participation in the event. These include US-based Ravi Rikhye; Emeritus Professor of History at Ulster University Tom Fraser; historian William Dalrymple; Curator at the Imperial War Museum London Alan Jeffreys; Heidleberg University (Germany) academic Michal Liebig; Military historian and publisher Tom Donovan; and South Asian modern history scholar Ed Haynes.
Others in the list of participants include:
• Gen AJS Sandhu – Author of ‘Battleground Chhamb, 1971’
Rana Chhina – Military historian and Secretary, Centre for Armed Forces Historical Research
Brig DarshanKhullar – Mountaineer and author of book on the 1962 war.
Lt Gen A Mukherjee – Historian of the Regiment of Artillery
• Prof Rima Hooja – Archaeologist, writer and historian
Rahul Singh – Journalist and co-author of recent book on cross-LOC surgical strikes
• Shiv Aroor – Journalist and co-author of recent book on cross-LOC surgical strikes
• General VP Malik – retired Chief of the Army Staff
• GS Channi – Film-maker and eminent theatre personality
• Prof Pushpesh Pant – Academic, historian and expert on international relations
• Lt Gen KJ Singh – Retired Eastern Army Commander, strategic thinker and currently holding the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Chair of Excellence at Panjab University
• Nitin Gokhale – Journalist and author
• Maj Gen Amarjit Singh – Military thinker and expert on Pakistan military doctrine and strategic affairs
• Lt Gen JS Bajwa, Editor Indian Defence Review and specialist on Chinese military modernization
• Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi – Retired Vice Chief of the Army Staff and military thinker
• AmitaBaig – Conservation architect
• Col Harjit Singh – Military historian and expert on Chanakyan military policy
• Amarpal Sidhu – UK-based Military historian of the Anglo-Sikh Wars