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Key Highlights of the Event
Direction and Values for Society: Speaking as the chief guest, senior campaigner Sridhar Paradkar stated that stories guide society, impart moral values, and help reform and advance life management. He emphasized that every individual has a story, and the person who expresses it in words is a true storyteller. Paradkar noted that Ashutosh’s stories reflect daily occurrences and serve as a potent medium for expressing emotions. He also highlighted how grandparents traditionally passed down core values through stories, drawing parallels between the essence of the Gita and the Ramcharitmanas.
Instilling Nationalism and Social Ideals:
Senior campaigner and All India Joint Organizational Secretary of Vidya Bharati, Ram Aravakar, expressed personal joy at seeing Ashutosh begin his literary journey with a collection filled with patriotic sentiments. He remarked that stories establish social ideals and guide people away from greed, though modern technological dominance and nuclear family structures have disrupted traditional home-based storytelling.
Duty to Speak Out Against Social Issues:
Guest of honor Rajeev Lochan Shukla, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), stressed that the growth of social problems stems largely from the habit of remaining silent spectators. He stated that speaking and writing vocally about surrounding problems is the need of the hour and the duty of every citizen. He commended Ashutosh for portraying everyday social issues in simple language through Prempash.
Book Review and Felicitation:
The book was reviewed by Mrs. Soumya Upadhyay and Dr. Aakanksha Gaud. On this occasion, Sanjay Agrawal, Additional Sessions Judge (Bhopal) and an alumnus of Vidyapeeth, was felicitated. The program was conducted by Mrs. Hemlata Choudhary, while dignitaries including Dr. Kumar Sanjeev (State President of Sahitya Parishad), Purushottam Gautam, and Pramod Bhargava graced the stage.
Welcome and Vote of Thanks:
Guests were welcomed by Dr. H.P. Jain, Prahlad Bharti, Dhairyavardhan Sharma, Pawan Sharma, Pradeep Awasthi, Shyam Bihari Saral, Nitin Mandsaurwale, Ram Pandit, Brajesh Agnihotri, Dr. S.K. Verma, Umesh Bhardwaj, Anupam Shukla, Jitendra Parsai, and Prayag Narayan Bhargava. The vote of thanks was delivered by the author, Ashutosh Sharma 'Oj'.
