National spirit of Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan will echo across the globe at the Military Literature Festival 2020 set to begin tomorrow. Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be launching the 4th Military Literature Festival (MLF) 2020 during a virtual ceremony on Friday. Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, who has spearheded the Festival to nurture a vibrant platform of free, liberal and an all-inclusive expression of military literary thought to attract youngsters towards defence forces would preside over the closing ceremony of three-day event on December 20.Disclosing this here during the Festival Announcement Ceremony at Punjab Bhawan earlier this afternoon, the Senior Advisor to Punjab Chief Minister Lt. Gen. (Retd.) T S Shergill shared the prestigious event to be held from December 18 to 20 would be organised online this year due to ongoing Covid situation. The event would also be a curtain raiser for the golden jubilee celebrations of the 1971 War against Pakistan which falls next year, General Shergill said adding our gallant victory in the war leading to creation of Bangladesh is an incredible tale of great heroic traditions of the Indian Army.Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan is not significant only for Punjab, but for the whole nation as our jawaans who give their all for motherland come from diverse rural backgrounds, General Shergill said elucidating the rationale behind the theme of MLF 2020.Reiterating the unflinching committment of farmers and soldiers to the motherland, General Shergill termed symbiotic relationship between both as our greatest strength. The global appeal of our Festival will further elevate the understanding of their contribution to the nation, he hoped.
Further, the event which would be telecast live to its worldwide audience on MLF Website, Facebook, Youtube and other platforms of the social media would present an international level forum to stimulate wide-ranging deliberations by celebrated defence officers, subject experts and political leaders during 13 panel discussions on topical issues of strategic regional and national significance, besides 7 of the Clarion Call - Josh aur Jasbah episodes and 3 book discussions which are being covered by more than 85 eminent speakers and experts. MLF website already boasts of over 16 Lakh viewers from around the globe, he added.Conceived in 2017, the joint initiative of the distinguished military historian and Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore in collaboration with Western Command, the Military Literature Festival has steadily earned brand presence in the region by successfully encompassing all aspects of defence literary works, arts, crafts, music and displays welded around the central theme to encourage youngsters to take up defence forces as career in the service of motherland. Over 1,50,000 visitors witnessed the Fest in 2019 registering more than whopping 500 percent increase in attendence.
Divulging further, General Shergill said that the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, himself an acclaimed military historian, would lead a pack of eminent media experts, intellectuals and defence strategists including Lt Gen CS Panag, ACM BS Dhanoa, Admiral Sunil Lanba, Members of Parliament Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tiwari, Rakesh Sinha, Mahua Moitra & Rajiv Chandershekhar, besides Dr C Rajamohan, Gul Panag, Mona Ambegaonkar who would be joining from across the country online.Ensuring strict adherence to all Covid norms and advisories, we have erected a specially designed studio facility in the city, General Shergill said where 5 mini studios for each panellist have been designated. This is specially for our esteemed panellists who are from the Tricity and choose to join us in the studio for panel discussions, he added.Jai Jawan Jai Kisan - Victory Soldier! Victory Farmer!, Military Leadership for the present day, Sabre rattling in Ladakh, Self-Reliance towards Defence Preparedness, The QUAD: The emerging Indo-Pacific Naval Alliance besides discussions on topics Taliban are coming, and Bollywood and shaping the nation would form the nucleus of invigorating cross-deliberations during the three day Festival.Prominent amongst others present during the ceremony included General Secretary MLF Major General TPS Waraich VSM Bar, Officer in-charge Colonel T S Dhaliwal, MLF Media coordinator Colonel NKS Brar, Festival Director Mandeep Bajwa, besides OSD to Senior Advisor Karanveer Singh.