Andretta/Kangra: A one-day National Mini-Story Symposium was organized by the "Mini-Story Lekhak Manch (Regd.) Amritsar" and "Adara Mini Magazine" in Andretta village of Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh. The event took place at the site associated with the rich legacy of the great-grandmother of drama, Nora Richards, which is under Punjabi University Patiala. Writers from Punjab as well as Haryana and Himachal Pradesh participated.
The presiding board included Prof. Chander Kant Singh, Ashok Dard (Banikhet), Dr. Naib Singh Mander, Dr. Harpreet Singh Rana, and Jagdish Rai Kulrian. The event began with Dr. Bhawani Shankar Garg singing a ghazal by the late poet Surjit Patar. He shared information about the cultural significance of Andretta and remembered the contributions of Nora Richards and painter Sobha Singh.
Jagdish Rai Kulrian, while explaining the purpose of the symposium, said that the goal of the Manch is to promote the mini-story genre and establish a dialogue with writers from different states. Bir Inder Banbhauri also emphasized the need for such literary programs. On this occasion, the new issue of “Mini Magazine” and several mini-story collections such as “Punjabi Mini Kahani da Itihas”, “Sattarvan Basant”, “Embalming”, “Rooh Dian Tandan”, and “Dilan Di Sanjh” were released.
During the reading of mini-stories in the second session, several writers presented their works. Authors including Kulwinder Kaushal, Gurmeet Singh Marhar, Kavita Rajbans, Joginder Kaur Agnihotri, Davinder Patialvi, Paramjit Kaur, Mohinderpal Bareta, Shaukeen Singh, Ashok Dard, Tarunveer Singh, Bir Inder Banbhauri, Jagdish Rai Kulrian, and Balraj Kuhara read two mini-stories each. These compositions were discussed in detail.
Dr. Naib Singh Mander said that the presented mini-stories are strong in theme and form and stand true to the standards of the genre. Ashok Dard described such events as creating new opportunities for writers. Dr. Harpreet Singh Rana said that the mini-story is touching new heights today and institutions should make more efforts for its development. Prof. Chander Kant Singh said that this genre has the capacity to express deep emotions in few words.
In the third “Open Session”, writers shared thoughts on their creative process and answered questions. Finally, the presiding board was honored, and certificates were given to participants. The program was recorded by Mohinderpal Bareta, while photography was handled by Shaukeen Singh, Tarunveer Singh, and Rajinder Rani. Treasurer Kulwinder Kaushal thanked everyone.