Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, October 08: Under the guidance of Minister for Higher Education and Languages, S. Harjot Singh Bains, and the direction of Director, Language Department, Punjab, S. Jaswant Singh Zafar, the office of the District Language Officer, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, organized the 'Punjabi Literature Creation and Poetry Recitation Competition' at Khalsa College, Phase 3 (A), Mohali. 
The competitions included essay writing, poetry writing, story writing, and poetry recitation. Approximately 300 students at the matriculation level from various government, semi-government, and private schools in the district participated enthusiastically in these competitions.
Research Officer Dr. Darshan Kaur welcomed the students, teachers, parents, and dignitaries who arrived to participate in the competitions, stating that literature preserves human sensitivity. Therefore, in the era of social media, these competitions are organized to foster love for the mother tongue and literature among students and to nurture their creative talents, so that even in today’s mechanical environment, a green sapling continues to flourish. The support received every year from the district’s teachers and school heads for these competitions is commendable.
As per the competition rules, for the poetry recitation competition, students presented their poems by reciting them on stage. Similarly, for the poetry writing competition (300 words), the topics provided on the spot were ‘What Should I Pass on to the Next Generation?’, ‘When the Mother Tongue Was Removed from Schools’, and ‘When Hard Work Became Unemployed’. 
For the essay writing competition (600 words), the topics were ‘If the Mother Tongue Becomes Silent’, ‘We Are No Longer Humans’, and ‘Mother Earth is Sick’. For the story writing competition (600 words), the topics were ‘My First Book’, ‘The Lesson of Forgiveness’, and ‘When I Was Scared’. A fierce competition was witnessed in all categories.
In the poetry recitation competition, Gurjot Kaur (S.S.S.S. Mulanpur Garibdas) secured the first position, Suneha (S.H.S. Dappar) secured the second position, and Pawanpreet Singh (Shishu Niketan Public School, Sector-66, Mohali) secured the third position. In the story writing competition, Prabhjot Singh (S.H.S. Radian) secured the first position, Sartaj Singh (Sant Ishar Singh Public School, Mohali) secured the second position, and Avinashjot Singh (Gilco International School) secured the third position. 
In the poetry writing competition, Ambika Soft (Gilco International School) secured the first position, Ranjit Kaur (S.H.S. Dappar) secured the second position, and Aafrin (School of Eminence, Bakarpur) secured the third position. In the essay writing competition, Ekamjot Kaur (Mata Sahib Kaur Public School, Swara) secured the first position, Gursirat Kaur (Infant Jesus Convent School) secured the second position, and Swain Sahota (S.H.S. Dappar) secured the third position.
The students who won at the district level will now participate in the state-level competitions to be held in Patiala in November.
During the competitions, Dr. Baljeet Kaur, Madam Dilpreet Kaur, Dr. Gurdeep Kaur, and Dr. Sandeep Kaur played a significant role in the judging panel.
On this occasion, the office of the District Language Officer, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar (Mohali), also organized a book exhibition with the aim of promoting a reading culture among students and fostering healthy life values.