BHOPAL : A two-day programme to felicitate national and regional-level litterateurs opened here on Wednesday at State museum. It is being organised by Madhya Pradesh Urdu Academy to mark the centenary year of noted authors Ishmat Chughtai and Rajinder Singh Bedi.
The progamme began with felicitation ceremony in which as many as 26 litterateurs were conferred with national and regional-level awards. Dr Sadik was felicitated with ‘Mir Taki Mir Samman’, Hakaki Al Kasmi with ‘Hakim Qamrul Hassan Samman’ for Urdu journalism, Kasim Niyaji with ‘Hamid Syed Khan Samman’ national award for year 2011-12. Some litterateurs of Rewa, Gwalior, Bhopal were felicitated with ‘Siraj Mir Khan Sahar Samman’, ‘Mohammed Ali Taj Samman’ ‘Kaif Bhopali Samman’ and others were feted with regional-level awards.
Afaque Ahmed, Professor Haider Abbas Rizvi, Dr. Mahmood Sheikh spoke about Ismat Chughtai and Rajinder Singh Bedi. Principal Secretary of Culture Manoj Shrivastava, Director, Culture Ajatshatru Shrivastava and eminent Urdu author Iqbal Mazeed were chief guest and guests of honour respectively.
Addressing the programme, Shrivastava said, ” The Academy was doing good work for Urdu language and literature and at the same time for the development of Urdu education. For this the budget of this Academy has been increased. Shrivastava also threw light on the contribution of Ishmat Chughtai and Rajinder Singh Bedi in the field of literature. The programme was presided over by Kailash Sarang, a former MLA and conducted by Mohammed Anees Ansari and poet Badra Wasti. A Mushaira would also be organised in which some well-known poets from across country would participate on August 27.
