Screening of film on on Mirza Ghalib at PU

Chandigarh, April 25, 2018: Paying tribute to the iconic poet, Mirza Ghalib, The Department of Hindi, Panjab University and The Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi, today hosted the screening of documentary film, ‘Banaras : Ka’ba-e- Hindostan’ .

Prof.Saubhagya Vardhan, Director, North Zone Cultural Center(NZCC) was the chief guest, Shri Kamal Arora, Chairman, Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi and Ms.Nalini Singhal, Regional Director, ICCR were the guests of honour on the occasion. Dr.Gurmeet Singh, Chairperson, Department of Hindi, welcomed the guests and said that Ghalib cannot be confined to merely a language as he is revered by all literature lovers and the event was an occasion to carry forth the legacy of love that Ghalib gave the world through his works.

Produced and Directed by Beenu Rajpoot, the film showcases the love that Mirza Ghalib professes for the city of Banaras and is based on his much acclaimed work Charagh-e-Dair. The film traces the journey of Mirza Ghalib’s life and how on the course of his journey to Kolkata he stayed in Banaras because of ill health and eventually fell in love with the city. While Ghalib’s verses show his love and respect to the holy city, Rajpoot’s film is an endeavour to bring that love on screen and beautifully does so in each frame. Interspersed with mesmerizing visuals of religious ceremonies and everyday life in the city of Banaras, the film also brings out the essence of unity in diversity and amalgamation of multiple cultures in the city of Banaras. It talks about the reverence that the holy waters of Ganga receive from a Hindu saint and a Maulvi alike. The film screening was followed by an interactive session. The event also showcased a special photography exhibition that depicted the life and works of Mirza Ghalib.

The event was attended by luminaries from the city and literature lovers from different walks of life which included Padma Shri, Prof. B.N. Goswami; Senate members- Ambassador I.S. Chaddha, Shri V.K.Sibal, Dr. Jagdish Mehta, Controller of Examinations, Prof Parvinder Singh; Director Research Promotion Cell, Panjab University, Prof. Ramanjit Johal; Director, Academic Staff college, Prof Ashutosh Kumar and Professor Neera Grover.

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