Chandigarh, November 25:- The Punjab Governor and Administrator, Union Territory, Chandigarh, Gen. (Retd.) S.F. Rodrigues PVSM VSM, while inaugurating the All India Bilingual Mushaira at GMCH Auditorium, Sector 32, here this evening announced the holding of Mushaira competitions, which have strong secular traditions. He said that Tagore Theatre in the City has been renovated and we have already planned regional States cultural competitions to promote national integration and harmony.
General Rodrigues further said that our country is a strong and vibrant nation with an established value system, despite various diversities in languages and cultures. We have to work together for the advancement of these values for strengthening the fabric of our multi-religious society. He emphasised the need of narrowing differences and to work for the empowerment of the poor and downtrodden. He said that in Chandigarh special focus is given to the social engineering concept in every development project with constant monitoring and evaluation through an institutionalized system. He said that this process will be further activated and social welfare programmes will be restructured after removing bottlenecks, if any. He appealed to the literary figures to contribute in various programmes by disseminating the message of goodwill and peace.
General Rodrigues honoured poets on the occasion and presented a shawls and bouquets. Mr. Ram Niwas, Home Secretary, UT gave an account of the programmes organized during the national integration week which commenced on November 19, 2008.
Mr. Dharamvir, Chief Secretary, Haryana presided over the function.
Eminent and renowned poets who presented their poems on the occasion including Ashok Chakradhar, Nida Fazli, Bekal Utsahi, Gulzar Dehalvi, Haq Kanpuri, Nawaz Deobandi, Asif Bareily, Neeladhar Jamhoori, K L Zakir and Shams Tabrezi. All the veteran poets disseminated the message of National Integration and Harmony through their illustrated and beautifully woven poems.
Mr. Ashok Chakradhar is a retired Professor of Hindi from Jamia Millia Aslamia, New Delhi and is world famous for his Hindi Attire. He has done programmes in Foreign Countries. Mr. Nida Fali has written more than 50 films and has more than 10 books in his credit. Various Video and Audio Cassettes of his work have been released in the market.
Mr. Neeladhar Jamhoori is a senior poet of Hindi writing from Uttar Pradesh and writes Gambhir Poetry and has written more than half a dozen books in Hindi Sahitya. Mr. Bekal Utsahi has been decorated with Padam Shri and was also a former Rajya Sabha Member and writes in Urdu and Hindi.
Mr. Haq Kanpuri is a ghazal and poet writer. Mr. Nawaz Deobhandi is world famous for reciting Ghazals. Mr. Gulzar Dehalvi is from Delhi School of Thoughts in Urdu and crossed 80 years and is well known for his fabulous way of recitation.
Mr. K.L. Zakir is Padamshri and is Secretary Haryana Urdu Kademi, he writes poetry and prose. Mr. Sham Tabrezi belongs to Chandigarh and has given various performances on radio and television and mostly sings modern ghazals. Mr. Asif Bareilway from Bareilly writes urdu geet and Ghazal.