Amrita Pritam’s 105th Birth Anniversary – ‘Raseedi Ticket Ka Safar’ Organised by Nagpur Book Club and Vama Vimarsh Manch
The Nagpur Book Club and Vama Vimarsh Manch celebrated the 105th birth anniversary of Punjab’s renowned poetess Amrita Pritam by exploring the journey of her autobiography, “Raseedi Ticket.” Dr. Tejinder Singh Rawal, in his presidential address, remarked, “If a littérateur is remembered with such intensity 100 years after her birth, it signifies the profound impact of her works.” He emphasised Amrita Pritam’s significant contributions to Urdu and Punjabi literature, her deep connections with Sahir Ludhianvi and Imroz, and the enduring relevance of her works like “Pinjar” and “Aj Aakhan Waris Shah Nu,” which continue to inspire social change.
Chief guest Narendra Satija praised Amrita Pritam as a literary revolutionary who gave voice to the voiceless, stating, “Her pen was mightier than the sword, as she waged a silent war against social injustices.” Special guest Umesh Sharma added, “Amrita Pritam’s words were not just written on paper; they were etched in the hearts of those who read them. Her legacy will forever resonate in the corridors of literature.” Reema Diwan Chaddha, who conducted the program, remarked, “In every line that Amrita Ji wrote, there was a part of her soul. She lived through her words, and today, through our remembrance, she lives on in us.” Resham Madan expressed gratitude to all participants.
The event commenced with a Saraswati Vandana by Hemlata Mishra Manavi. Amrita Pritam’s famous poems were presented in Punjabi by Rupinder Chatwal, Santosh Buddhraja, Nirmala Pandey, Sonal Bisen, and Uma Hargan. In Hindi, Amrita’s poems were recited by Ranjana Srivastava, Vandana Sahay, Dr. Abha Singh, Dr. Jyotimani Roque, Archana Singh Soni, Dr. Supanth Bhattacharya, Rajat Maurya, Sushma Agrawal, Madhuri Mishra Madhu, Abha Asudani, Nandita Soni, Rashmi Mishra, Vishakha Khandelwal, Sushma Bhange, Poonam Mishra, Suman Aneja, Archana Chaurasia, and Shivani Singh.
Dr. Chhaya Srivastava, S.P. Singh, and Anil Malokar shared stories related to Amrita’s life. Dr. Tejinder Singh Rawal, Narendra Satija, senior literary figure Dr. Krishna Srivastava, Umesh Sharma, and Sarla Madan also highlighted various aspects of Amrita’s life from the stage.
Monica Dixit read out selected letters from Amrita’s book “Dastavez,” addressed to Imroz. Rajat Maurya, Suhas Devtale, Rupinder Chatwal, and Kavita Jogi Ghugal captured the event in photos and videos. Ashish Deshpande and Resham provided support for the event.
Notable attendees included Pushpa Rathi, Rajesh Namdev, Jigisha Shah, Rupinder Nanda, Ashok Rathi, Dharmendra Verma, Ritu Arora, Rajesh Manwatkar, Ishwinder Kaur, Rohit Tokhi, Mohanish, Tejal, Nitesh Kumar, Ravindra Panrajpe, Rakesh Vaidya, Dr. V. Madhuri Rao, Dr. Nirankush K. Neer, Sunil Jadhav, Dinesh Jain, Brahmanand Petkar, and Pratibha Bhole.