Bhopal : From February 26th to February 28th, a three-day National Vanmali Katha Samman Samaroh was jointly organized by Vanmali Srijan Peeth, Rabindranath Tagore University, AISECT Publications and Vishwarang. This event, dedicated to the creative legacy of the late Jagannath Prasad Choubey ‘Vanmali’, a renowned writer, educationist, and thinker, took place at the Rabindranath Tagore University campus.

During this event, writers received recognition through Vanamali Katha Samman in ten distinct categories. Notably, the esteemed late writer was honored with the ‘Vanamali Kathashirsha Samman’. Additionally, Usha Kiran Khan from Patna received posthumous recognition, while senior story writer Shivmurthy from Lucknow was honored with the ‘Vanamali National Katha Samman’. Both awardees were adorned with a shawl, a quince, a citation, and an honorarium of Rs 1 lakh each.

The ‘Vanmali Katha Madhya Pradesh Samman’ was awarded to senior author Dr. Gyan Chaturvedi from Bhopal, while the ‘Vanmali Yuva Katha Samman’ was bestowed upon young writer Ashutosh from Sagar. Critic Rakesh Bihari from Prayagraj also received the ‘Vanmali Katha Critic Award’, and the prestigious ‘Vanmali Katha Patrika Samman’ was presented to the renowned magazine ‘Tadbhava’ published from Lucknow. The ‘Vanmali Pravasi Bharatiya Rachnakar Samman’ was granted to senior writer Tejendra Sharma from London, the ‘Vanmali Kathetar Samman’ was conferred upon Anil Yadav from Delhi, and the ‘Vanmali Vishisht Katha Samman’ was awarded to Ms. Pratyaksha from Delhi. Additionally, Arvind Mishra received the ‘Vanmali Vigyan Katha Samman’. These honored writers were adorned with a shawl citation and received an honorarium of fifty-one thousand rupees. Eminent litterateur Mamta Kalia graced the program as the chief guest, alongside Japanese Hindi and Indian language scholar Padmashree Tomio Mizokami. The event was presided over by Santosh Choubey, adding to the cordial atmosphere of the occasion.

While providing inputs, Mr. Santosh Choubey, the National President of Vanmali Srijan Peeth and a senior poet and educationist explained that the ‘Vanmali Katha Samman’ awarded by Vanmali Srijan Peeth under the ‘Vishwarang’ initiative is dedicated to stories that embody democratic and human values within the contemporary narrative landscape. This biennial award aims to revive literature and accord it the respect it deserves. Noteworthy writers such as Mamta Kalia, Chitra Mudgal, Shashank, Swayam Prakash, Akhilesh, Asghar Wajahat, Uday Prakash, Maitreyi Pushpa, Prabhu Joshi, Priyamvad, Geetanjali Shri, Manoj Roopra, among others, have been previously honored with the Vanamali Katha Award.

Book launch and inauguration of photo exhibition

During the inaugural day of the event, there was a dual inauguration comprising the launch of books published by Aisect Publications and a photo exhibition showcasing the life of Vanmali ji. Following this, a ceremony was held to unveil various literary works including Vanmali Katha Patrika, Vanmali Varta, Sehmat, Complete Stories of Vanmali Ji, Tradition and Modernity, Souvenirs, and a Brochure.

Discussion on literature

On the second and third days of the ceremony, composition recitals and discussions were organized. The second day featured recitals by respected composers Anil Yadav, Tejendra Sharma, Arvind Mishra, Ashutosh, Pratyaksha, Akhilesh, and Shivmurthy. Following this, a discussion titled ‘New Story of the New Century’ took place in the second session, with participation from Rashmi Rawat, Rakesh Bihari, Rajkumar, Priyam Ankit, Rajeev Kumar, and Vinod Tiwari. On the third day, a discussion focusing on the topic of non-fiction composition occurred, featuring a composition recital by Santosh Choubey, remarks by Mahesh Darpan, and a presidential address by Mamta Kalia. Additionally, there were speeches by Alok Ranjan, Prabhat Ranjan, and Kabir Sanjay in the following session. The subsequent session, titled “Kahani Ka Yuva Swar”, also involved participation from Nihal Parashar, Sumedha Agrashree, and Shahadat Khan, with a presidential address by Santosh Choubey.

The stage was set with colorful performances

The first day of the program commenced with various performances by Padmashree Prahlad Singh Tipanya and his team. Subsequently, in the evening session, students of Tagore Natya Vidyalaya under the direction of Santosh Kaushik performed songs on Holi. Cultural activities on the second day began with a presentation of Rang Sangeet by students of Tagore Natya Vidyalaya, followed by a theatrical presentation of Vanmali ji’s stories titled “Dadhichi” theater group named ‘Rangshirsh’ directed by Sanjay Mehta. On the concluding third day, a theatrical presentation of Santosh Choubey’s stories were performed by Devendraraj Ankur’s Sambhav Sanstha.