The national spirit of Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan will echo across the globe at the three-day Military Literature Festival-2020 set to begin from Friday. Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be launching the 4th edition of the annual event during a virtual ceremony.
Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, who has spearheaded the Festival to nurture a vibrant platform of free, liberal and an all-inclusive expression of military literary thought to attract youngsters towards defence forces, would preside over the closing ceremony on December 20.
Being organised amidst the COVID pandemic, the event would be organised online this year; and would be telecasted live to its worldwide audience on MLF Website, Facebook, YouTube and other platforms of the social media, said the Senior Advisor to Punjab Chief Minister Lt. General TS Shergill (Retd) during the Festival Announcement Ceremony on Thursday.
He said that it would present an international level forum to stimulate wide-ranging deliberations by celebrated defence officers, subject experts and political leaders during 13 panel discussions on topical issues of strategic regional and national significance, besides seven of the Clarion Call - Josh aur Jazbah episodes and three book discussions which are being covered by more than 85 eminent speakers and experts.
MLF website already boasts of over 16 Lakh viewers from around the globe, he added.
General Shergill said that the event would also be a curtain raiser for the golden jubilee celebrations of the 1971 War against Pakistan which falls the next year
“Our gallant victory in the war leading to creation of Bangladesh is an incredible tale of great heroic traditions of the Indian Army,” he said.
“Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan is not significant only for Punjab, but for the whole nation as our jawaans who give their all for motherland come from diverse rural backgrounds,” General Shergill said elucidating the rationale behind the theme of MLF 2020.
Reiterating the unflinching commitment of farmers and soldiers to the motherland, General Shergill termed symbiotic relationship between both as our greatest strength. “The global appeal of our Festival will further elevate the understanding of their contribution to the nation,” he hoped.
General Shergill said that the Chief Minister, himself an acclaimed military historian, would lead a pack of eminent media experts, intellectuals and defence strategists including Lt Gen HS Panag (Retd.), ACM BS Dhanoa, Admiral Sunil Lanba, Members of Parliament Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tiwari, Rakesh Sinha, Mahua Moitra & Rajiv Chandershekhar, besides Dr C Rajamohan, Gul Panag, Mona Ambegaonkar who would be joining from across the country online.
Ensuring strict adherence to all Covid norms and advisories, we have erected a specially designed studio facility in the city, General Shergill said where five mini studios for each panellist have been designated. This is specially for our esteemed panellists who are from the Tricity and choose to join us in the studio for panel discussions, he added.