Kewal Vig Awards – 2021

 

Kewal  Vig Awards – 2021

As usual every successive year, Kewal Awards are held on December 4 in the memory of Shri Kewal Vig, a journalist and social activist of his own standing and founder Editor of The Janta Sansar then in Urdu and now in Punjabi.  The Award has been instituted by Kewal Vig’s worthy son Jatinder Mohn Vig under the aegis of Kewal Vig Foundation.This year too a good and befitting function was held at Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall in which it was an honour for me to participate as a Special Guest of honour. The AAP leader and former senior police functionary IPS Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh was the Chief Guest.

Like every year, many prominent personalities namely; IPS Dr. S.K. Kalia,  Sardar Chetan Singh Director of Department of Languages, Congress Party leader Sardar Satnam Singh Bitta among others also graced the occasion. This year the function was dedicated to two eminent literary personalities – i) Dr. S.S. Chhina, an eminent agro-scientist and writer and ii) Shri Lal Athouliwale, a renowned lyricist and writer. It may be added that Kewal Vig Foundation has conferred, in 29 years, Award to 57 prominent personalities from the literary circles. Kewal Vig Award was instituted in 1994 in the memory of Kewal Vig, a prominent journalist and editor of standing in Jalandhar.

The Chief Guest, Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh and other speakers while paying rich tributes to Kewal Vig appreciated and thanked

Lighting of the Traditional Lamp

Jatinder Mohan Vig for undertaking the noble act of honouring the much deserving writers and media personalities. The function was inter-spread with interludes of poetry, ghazals, and songs by selected performers who regaled and entertained the audience fully. Lal Athouliwale’s famous song “Na Jamin Pardesh Othe Nahin Ma Labhani” stole the show. The Ghazals rendered by Surinder Gulson were impressive and made the evening. An integral part of the cultural life of Jalandhar, Gagandeep Sondhi steered the function very ably as Master of Ceremonies.

The bonus for me to sit through the function was the books kindly gifted to me at the function – i) The Vintage of Spirituality of Dr. Sarbjit Singh Chhina who was one of the Kewal Vig Awardees and ii) KafileWafawana De – a collection of Ghazals by Surjit Darshi. I will certainly read these and benefit.

Thanks a lot my friend Jatinder Mohan Vig for inviting me.