Ropar, March 29: Under the 'Srijna aur Samvad' (Creation and Dialogue) series—a program initiative launched by the Punjab Kala Parishad, Chandigarh, as part of its 'Punjab Ki Nai Rachna' (New Writings of Punjab) project—a dialogue session featuring renowned Punjabi novelist Harjit Kaur Virk was organized at the local Kalgidhar Kanya Pathshala, in collaboration with the Bibi Kirpal Kaur Memorial Trust, Ropar. Writers, critics, and readers present on the occasion engaged in a profound discussion with novelist Harjit Kaur Virk regarding the theory and history of the novel, as well as various aspects related to her own works.
Commencing the ceremony, coordinator Dr. J.B. Sekhon introduced this weekly discussion series—being conducted under the leadership of Punjab Kala Parishad President Swarnjit Savi—stating that this dialogue series is fostering novel opportunities for discourse within the realm of Punjabi fiction literature. Novelist Harjit Kaur Virk shared her insights regarding the creative process behind the composition of her five novels.
She spoke on various facets concerning the themes, characters, language, and narrative style of her novels. She remarked that, for her, the moments of composing a novel are inherently creative, serving as a phase where the process of realistically portraying events, characters, and the setting unfolds seamlessly. She expressed deep reflections on the creative context of novels addressing drug-related issues—specifically referencing her work *Ghaggar Kande De Kazak*—and on the challenges of youth migration, as explored in her novel *Ek Tota Janam Bhoomi*.
On this occasion, writers Jatinder Kaur Mahil and Dr. Pushpinder Kaur raised questions regarding the portrayal of female characters within the broader tradition of the Punjabi novel, drawing comparisons with the female characters depicted in Harjit Kaur Virk's works. Novelist Jasvir Mand shared his views on the narrative approach of presenting the *mindset* associated with an event, rather than merely recounting the event itself. During the discussion, Dr. Rajinder Singh Kurali, short story writer Swarup Sialvi, Dr. Jatinder Kumar, novelist Mandeep Rimpi, and Bhupinder Singh Bhagomajra shared their views with guest novelist Harjit Kaur Virk on topics such as novels and reality, narrative language, inspiration for novels, imaginative elements in storytelling, and more.
The novelist responded to questions posed regarding her own novels and the tradition of Punjabi novel writing. Writer Jatinder Kaur Mahil shared insightful observations regarding the discussion program, while the coordinator, Dr. J.B. Sekhon, expressed his views on the various points raised throughout the event.
On this occasion, Gurinder Singh Kalsi, Bhupinder Singh Bhagomajra, Amarjit Kaur Morinda, Jaswant Singh, Pawan Kumar Ratto, Mahinder Singh, Professor Mandeep Kumar, Professor Deepak, Hardeep Singh Gill, Bhupinder Singh, Parvinder Singh, and others also participated in the discussion.