Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal urged the litterateurs to contribute significantly in preserving the art and culture of the State to make Himachal Pradesh a centre of art and culture. He was addressing the ‘Shikhar Yuva Samman’ Samaroh, organised by a literary organization, Shikhar, here today.
Prof. Dhumal said that State Government was making efforts to promote Art, Language and Culture besides preserving the rich cultural heritage of the State. He said that literature was the mirror of the society and added that the serene beauty of Himachal Pradesh had always attracted writers and artists.
Chief Minister said that there was sufficient in the field of art and culture in Himachal Pradesh to write upon which could be preserved for future generations through exhaustive research work and publication of books. He said that literature represented the age it was written in and carried historical contents of art and culture of respective period. He said that writers express their feelings through their creativity. He said that pieces of literatures based upon the experiences of the writer had always been ranked best in the literary field. He said that literary organizations had been contributing significantly towards the promotion of creativities of respective age. He said that efforts were afoot to motivate creative minds write on the rich art and culture of the State for the benefit of future generations.
Prof. Dhumal congratulated Shri Keshav, President of Shikhar for organizing its annual function and inviting renowned litterateurs from different parts of the country to deliberate upon exploring possibilities of making Himachal Pradesh a centre of art and culture in the country.
He also conferred ‘Yuva Shikhar Sahitya Samman’ besides cash prize of Rs. 5100 upon young writer from Meghalaya Dr. Bharat Prasad and congratulated him for the same. He also welcomed participating delegates to Himachal Pradesh.
Chief Minister also released poetry book ‘Virasat Jaisa Kuchh’ penned by renowned poetess Dr. Rekha on the occasion. Pradeep Pandit, a renowned writer and scholar also addressed the inaugural ceremony. Earlier, Keshav, President, Shikhar, welcomed the Chief Minister and reiterated the resolve to make Shimla Literary Capital of the country by organizing more of literary festivals, seminars and workshops. He said that literature and society were deeply related and literature reflects the age when it was written. He detailed activities of the organization also.
Besides noted writers, Sonal Agnihotri, Superintendent of Police, Dr. N.K. Lath, Additional District Magistrate were also present on the occasion.
