The Asian Literary Society organized its 5th ALS LITFEST on 17th April 2023 at Civil Services Officers’ Institute Auditorium, New Delhi. The celebration started with a welcome address by Manoj Krishnan (Founder, Asian Literary Society) followed by a lamp-lighting ceremony and chanting. Chief Guest- Sukrita Paul Kumar (Guest Editor, Indian Literature, Sahitya Akademi), Distinguished Guests-Dr. Lakshmi Shankar Bajpai (Eminent Poet and Former Deputy Director General, AIR Akashvani), Dr. Amarendra Khatua (Former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs), Mamta Kiran (Eminent Poet) Anita Chand (Administrator, ALS), Kiren Babal (Ambassador, ALS), Vandana Bhasin (Editor, ALSphere Magazine) along with noted writers from Kerala, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Singapore, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Bengal, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Punjab graced the occasion with their august presence.
The highlight of the 5th ALS LITFEST was the felicitation of the Winners of the Book and Women Awards 2022. The award category and recipients were: Indian Women Achievers Awards -Winner (Arts) Anita Malhotra, Winners (Literature) Dr. Minal, Dr. Ritu Kamra Kumar, Seema Jain, Ketaki Mazumdar, (Certificate of Excellence) Manisha Amol, Indian Women Rising Star Awards -Winners (Literature) Jyothy Sreedhar, Dr. Sonika Sethi, Winner (Social Service) Sreemati Sen, Certificate of Excellence (Literature) Gargi Sarkhel Bagchi, Dr. Gitika Verma, Ramya V, Saysha Mor, Best Poetry Book (Hindi) Winner “Muskaan Zindagi KI” by Dr. Kavita Singh “Prabha”, Best Debut Poetry Book (Hindi) Winner “Dil Ki Awaaz Ek Behti Dhaara” by Manisha Amol, Debut Poetry Book (Hindi Certificate of Excellence “Aur Shabd Yun Judtey Gayein” by Seema, Best Debut Poetry Book (Hindi) Certificate of Excellence “Khwabon ka Caaravan” by Heena Shaista, Best Poetry Book (English) Certificate of Excellence “Tides of Life” by Kirti V, Best Poetry Book (English) Certificate of Excellence “Summer Showers by Dr. Brinda Bala Sreenivasan, Best Poetry Book (English) Winner “Hues From Cues” by Vandana Saxena, Best Poetry Book (English) Winner “Woodsmoke and Embers” by Ketaki Mazumdar, Best Debut Poetry Book (English) Certificate of Excellence “Odyssey of Life, of Learnings, of Joy” by Zeyd Ladha, Best Debut Poetry Book (English) Certificate of Excellence “Ashdust Flies” by Leela Satyan, Best Debut Poetry Book (English) Certificate of Excellence “The Peerless Pearls” by Dr. Ritu Kamra Kumar, Best Debut Poetry Book (English) Winner “Verdant Verses” by Neeti Parti, Best Debut Book (Non-fiction) (English) Winner “Tilottama at a Glance” by Sreeparna Sen, Best Non-fiction Book (English) Winner “The Strokes of Solitude” by Dr. Ritu Kamra Kumar, Best Fiction Book (English)Certificate of Excellence “My Name is Cinnamon “by Vikas Prakash Joshi, Best Fiction Book (English) Winner -Easter Lilies and Other Stories by Dr. Sonika Sethi , Best Fiction Book (English) Winner “Dream Run” by Dr. Usha Sridhar, Best Debut Fiction Book (English) Winner “My Name is Cinnamon by Vikas Prakash Joshi.
In ALS LITFEST 2023 books by the writers of the ALS community, were released. These included Suni Hai Aahat, Dadi ki Jeevani Meri Kalam Se, Ujale Mann Ke, Odyssey, and The Reluctant Doctor.
“Suni Hai Aahat!” is the sound of the footsteps of life. It is not just a collection of poetry, but a collection of the desires, dreams, thoughts, and aspirations of the poet Dr. Kavita Singh “Prabha.” “Dadi ki Jeevani Meri Kalam Se” is a biography of the grandmother of author Manisha Amol who has delineated the ups and downs of life in this book. “Ujale Mann Ke” is a collection of poems by Dr. Nisha Wadhwa. The deep human feelings are expressed very simply by the poet. The poetry deals with various social issues and personal emotions to which most of the readers can relate spontaneously. ”Odyssey” is the debut poetry book of Zeyd Ladha. Poems on a variety of topics ranging from emotions to society are bound to keep the reader’s attention captivated. Each poem is straight from the poet’s heart. ”The Reluctant Doctor” by Dr. Balesh Jindal is a poignant tale of a reluctant, young doctor who found herself hurled from an urban lifestyle to managing a rural clinic and soon the rural patients and their stories became a sustaining force for her.
Another highlight of the event was poetry readings by Harkirat Singh Dhingra, Gargy Mukherjee, P. D Jonakii, Dr. Minal, Meenakshi Bhasin, Manisha Amol, Rajan Mehra, Alka Balain and Shweta Gupta.
The program was moderated by Manoj Krishnan and Vandana Bhasin. The event ended with the felicitation of writers and a vote of thanks.