Logo

Logo

Chandigarh to host sports literature festival

After hosting India’s first Military Literature Festival (MLF) in December as a tribute to the armed forces, Chandigarh is all…

Chandigarh to host sports literature festival

Vivek Atray

After hosting India’s first Military Literature Festival (MLF) in December as a tribute to the armed forces, Chandigarh is all set to host the first sports literature festival on March 17-18.

Organisers of the festival said on Monday said the ‘Play Write 2018’, will bring together sports personalities who have either written books or have been the subject of one or more books themselves. “We plan to make ‘Play Write’ an annual event,” Vivek Atray, curator of the event told reporters at a Press conference.

Among the eminent sporting personalities who will participate in the two-day festival would include 106-year-old marathoner Fauja Singh, hockey legend Balbir Singh Senior, the Minerva FC team (which recently won the I-League football tournament), Indian women’s Rugby team, Himanshu and Aanchal Thakur (skiers), boxer Akhil Kumar, golfers Shubhankar Sharma, Ajeetesh Sandhu and Gurbaaz Mann and actor Aparshakti Khurana.

Advertisement

Speaking on the upcoming event, Balbir Singh Senior said due recognition is like an elixir to a sportsperson. “Books about sports and sportspersons bring well deserved spotlight on them and their achievements, which on one side encourages them to achieve higher levels and on the other inspires the reader to go out and replicate or surpass the achievements of their heroes,” he said.

“A sports specific lit fest, especially in a city like Chandigarh can play a major role in the years to come in ensure that this genre of writing gets the support it deserves,” he added.

The festival will feature 10 interesting sessions covering games like hockey, cricket, marathon running, football, boxing, women’s Rugby and kabaddi etc.

Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kings XI Punjab players will be part of a session on cricket and I-League champions Minerva will be represented in a discussion on football, Atray said.

Advertisement