Hoshiarpur:- Under the patronage of Vice Chancellor Dr. Jagdeep Singh, the 12th five-day book fair and literary festival was organized in a grand manner at Punjabi University Patiala under the joint initiative of the Punjabi Department and Publication Bureau under the leadership of Head Dr. Rajwant Kaur Punjabi. On this occasion, while publishers from all over the country came to exhibit their books, expert writers and dignitaries of the country related to various subjects of literature, art and culture continued to arrive for five days.
Artists like Ranjit Kaur, Gulshan Komal, Sukhi Brar and Debi Makhsoospuri kept the party going during the musical evenings. On the fifth day of this festival, keeping in mind the need of the time, the organizers took a new and healthy initiative by creating a children's literature discussion. This level of children's literature discussion was organized for the first time in any university.
Eminent children's literature writers of Punjab were present in this new chapter started by the administrators at the university level. In which Dr. Kulbir Singh Suri, son of famous novelist Nanak Singh from Amritsar, Hirdepal Singh, son of founder editor of Bal Sandesh Gurbaksh Singh Preetlari, Manmohan Singh Daun from Chandigarh, Dr. Darshan Singh Asht from Patiala (winner of all Sahit Akademi and Shiromani Bal Sahit Puraskar) and Doaba was represented by editor of Nikkian Karumbalan, the only children's magazine of Punjabi listed in the India Book of Records and Shiromani children's literature writer Baljinder Mann from Mahilpur, district Hoshiarpur.
The topic of the dialogue on children's literature was given as 'The Crisis of Children's Literature: Quality or Shortage'. On which expert scholars presented their views and specially appreciated the administrators of Punjabi University Patiala for this initiative. He said that Punjabi University Patiala has become the first university to recognize the importance of children's literature at the university level and to hold discussions on this subject.
Now, taking inspiration from here, other universities will also talk about children's literature. They will also take the responsibility of getting their students to do research on various aspects of children's literature. The development of language begins with children. If children start loving and respecting the Punjabi language, then adults will not need to tell them this.
Love and respect for the Punjabi language can be instilled in children only through interesting children's literature. Children's books and children's magazines created according to the age group must reach them by teachers and parents. The writers involved in the discussion seriously considered and refined the topics of poetry, stories, novels, paintings, animation, magazines, educational management, publications, the role of the government, etc. On this occasion, Baljinder Mann not only composed a children's literature dialogue but also played a brilliant role as a dialogue writer, enhancing the pride of Hoshiarpur and especially the Doaba. On this occasion, the organizers specially honored the writers participating in the discussion by the head of the Punjabi department and the chief festival organizer Dr. Rajwant Kaur Punjabi.
During this discussion, two play collections of Dr. Darshan Singh Asht 'When will you become a child and other child plays, Chugalkhor and other child plays' and the latest issue of Nikkian Karumbalan were also released.