Indore/Madhya Pradesh: The grand launch ceremony of 'Katha Sanchay'—a newly compiled short story collection edited by senior litterateur Sujata Deshpande—took place on Sunday amidst an atmosphere of literary dignity and enthusiasm at the auditorium of the Shri Madhya Bharat Hindi Sahitya Samiti, Indore.
Shri Ashwin Khare, representing the Maharashtra Sahitya Sabha, Indore, attended as the chief guest. In his address, he described Mrs. Sujata Deshpande’s new initiative as highly innovative and praiseworthy. The collection features selected stories by authors from various states across the country, making it an excellent example of literary diversity and cultural harmony.
Shri Arvind Jawalekar, President of the Samiti, presided over the event, while Dr. Dnyaneshwar Tikhe presented a detailed review of the book. The anthology includes stories by 37 authors from different regions of the country; among them is the story "Shakkar Ka Dibba aur Raju" (The Sugar Box and Raju) by poet, writer, and critic Sanjay M. Taranekar. This story is set against the backdrop of the 1980s, a time when children often grew up in conditions of financial hardship. Deprived of actual sweets, children would often consume plain sugar as a substitute.
On this occasion, the authors whose stories were published in the collection were honored with mementos and copies of the book. A notable feature of this project was that Sujata Deshpande published the book entirely at her own expense, charging no fees whatsoever from the contributing authors—a rare occurrence in the literary world.
The program commenced with a *Saraswati Vandana* (invocation to the Goddess of Knowledge) performed by Ms. Apoorva. Dr. Suvarna Lapalikar conducted the proceedings. This information was provided by independent writer Harihar Singh Chauhan.