A discussion was held on the topic “Sky-touching daughters: Mhari Lado” on the second day of the Panchkula Book Fair at Indradhanush Auditorium here today.
Haryana DGP Shatrujit Kapoor, who was the chief guest on the occasion, said daughters were excelling in every field and the results of competitive examinations were the best example. Through events like book fair, steps were being taken towards the dream of safe motherhood and healthy society, he said, adding the safety of women was the priority of the state police and several initiatives were being taking in this regard.
Special guest Amneet P Kumar, Principal Secretary, Women and Child Development Department, said the government was running various schemes for women empowerment. He said Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme was started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Haryana. Hailing women achievers, he mentioned the film “Dangal”, which was based on the lives of famous women wrestlers of the state.
Dr Gurmeet Singh, professor, Hindi Department, Panjab University, said increasing the marriageable age of girls was a commendable step by the government and such initiatives would go a long way in their empowerment.
On this occasion, “Jikre Halat”, a book written on Covid by Dr Gagandeep Kaur, was released.
Dr Sandhya Singh, senior professor, NCERT, threw light on the historical aspect of women empowerment, emphasising the contribution of Savitri Bai Phule and other social reformers. Dr Navdeep Kaur, HoD, Indian Theatre, Panjab University, expressed her views on the role of rang manch in women empowerment. She said the use of theatre on social issues would give rise to a new dimension in drama science.
Famous litterateur Vishwas Patil , author of works like “Panipat”, and “Sambhaji”, said the internet had expanded the world of books. Before the advent of the information revolution, the creations which were limited to only a few were now reaching millions of people.
Chairman of power distribution companies PK Das said the book fair was an intellectual destination for the people of the city. Dr Saket Kumar, Managing Director, Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam, said even in this era of information revolution, it was difficult to find an alternative to books as these were a cheap and accessible means of knowledge for every section of society.
