Writers from more than 65 countries participated; 30 emerging young authors felicitated
Dehradun (Thano): On the occasion of International Writers’ Day, a grand and dignified ceremony was organized at Lekhak Gaon, Thano (Dehradun). Owing to its unique format, this event was held for the first time in the country, bringing together writers from India and more than 65 countries across the world on a single platform.
During the programme, 26 senior writers present in person, along with Hindi and overseas Hindi literary figures connected online from various countries, were conferred with the ‘Lekhak Samman’. Additionally, 30 young authors—whose books have already been published—were honoured with the ‘Navodit Lekhak Samman’ in recognition of their literary contributions.
The honoured young authors included Pranavi Bhardwaj (Whispers of Hills), Lavanya Kushwaha (Traveling Through a Solo Wanderer), Devansh Gupta (The Horrors of the Haunted House), Shreya Chug (Claw Marks on the Bathroom Floor), Aditya Sagar (Quantum Horizon), Vaishnavi (New Knowledge), Yashika Sharma (COVID-19), Arghya (Life of a Dino), Adrika Singh (It Is Possible), Deep Kaur (Verum Donum), Bhavya Bhagat (Academy), Sakshi Gupta (Educational Work), Vritika Singh (Nani / The Power of Moral Values), Kavisha Verma (Metanoia), Vrinda (Maa Ki Chhaya / Pita – Smriti Mein Anupam Sparsh), Nidhi Arora (books on Computer Education), Rehansh Chaudhary (Zenobia), Samriddhi Gupta (My Excursion with Friends / Countess of Magic / Whispers from the Lost Empire), Manan Verma (ten books), and nationally honoured Chaitanya Sikhola (Why We Are Always Running), among others.
Presiding over the programme, the Patron of Lekhak Gaon, renowned litterateur and former Union Minister Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, stated that a writer is a vigilant observer of society, a thinker, and a bridge of sensitivity. He announced that Lekhak Gaon would provide a strong platform to creative writers. Along with giving momentum to their creativity, their works would also be published under the administration of Lekhak Gaon. Workshops, dialogue sessions, and publication initiatives will be launched in the near future for this purpose.
Director of Lekhak Gaon, Vidushi Nishank, welcomed all guests who were connected directly and indirectly. She said that Lekhak Gaon is not merely a place, but a centre of creative consciousness where culture and values are nurtured through words.
Chief Guest Padma Shri Kalyan Singh ‘Maiti’, in his address, stated that Lekhak Gaon is undertaking meaningful work in establishing a distinctive identity for literature on the global stage. Considering the present global circumstances, it is extremely important that literature awakens society towards human values, sensitivity, and cultural consciousness. With this creative resolve, Lekhak Gaon is emerging as a strong bridge between literature and society, inspiring positive change in the world through the power of words.
Various sessions of the ceremony included poetry recitations, literary dialogues, and discussions on global Hindi. Overseas writers who joined online and shared their views included Sangeeta Chaube ‘Pankhudi’ from Kuwait, Shubhra Ojha from the USA, Ashutosh Kumar from the UK, Shalini Verma from Qatar, Aradhana Jha Srivastava from Singapore, Ashish Mishra from London, Pooja Anil from Spain, Sarika Flor from Kenya, Prachi Randhawa from Canada, Rita Kaushal from Australia, Manish Pandey ‘Manu’ from the Netherlands, Dr. Bresil Nagad Bitan from Sri Lanka, and Dr. Vivek Mani Tripathi from China, among many others.
Among those present at the programme were Dr. Sarvesh Uniyal, Dr. Neerja Sharma, Sachin Rana, Balkrishna Chamoli, Anil Joshi, Tapas Chakravarti, Aditya Vats, Virendra Dangwal ‘Parth’, Narendra Uniyal ‘Nanu’, Dr. Manorama Nautiyal, Neelam Pandey ‘Neel’, Bharti Dimri, Sangeeta Rana, Mukesh Rana, Santosh Ashish, Dr. Shashi Devli, Dr. Saumyata Pandey, Dr. Ritesh Chaudhary, Dr. Seema Parveen, Dr. Jageshwar Singh, Dr. Shobha Chaudhary, Dr. Alfeesha, Dr. Neeraj Srivastava, and Ashna Negi, President of Himalayan Virasat Trust, along with several other writers and academicians.
The online proceedings were conducted by International Diaspora Coordinator Dr. Shipra Shilpi from Germany, while the offline sessions were jointly conducted by Dr. Bechain Kandiyal and Shivam Dhondiyal. In the end, Convenor Mrs. Pooja Pokhriyal expressed gratitude to all guests and participants.
The ceremony conveyed the message that Lekhak Gaon is committed to strengthening global dialogue in Hindi literature while also emerging as a powerful platform for creation and publication for emerging and young writers.
