‘People blessed with amrit of thoughts at Wardha’

Wardha Correspondent

The three-day 96th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan concluded at Wardha on Sunday amid much fanfare. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, who graced the occasion, said that Wardha was a land blessed by Mahatma Gandhi, Acharya Vinoba Bhave, Jamnalal Bajaj, Sindhutai Sapkal and Pandurangji Khankhoje and now, with the literary meet, people had been blessed with the amrit of thoughts. “These thoughts will definitely give a new direction to the society,” he said.

Organised in the centenary year of Vidarbha Sahitya Sangh (VSS), the concluding ceremony of the Sahitya Sammelan was held in the Acharya Vinoba Bhave Pandal on the ground of Swawlambi Shikshan Mandal in Wardha in the evening. President of the Sahitya Sammelan Justice Narendra Chapalgaonkar, Reception Committee Chairman Datta Meghe, MLA Pankaj Bhoyar, President of Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal Usha Tambe, VSS Executive President Pradeep Datey, General Secretary Vilas Manekar, Ujjwala Mehendale and Sagar Meghe shared the dais.

Gadkari also paid tributes to the former president of VSS late Manohar Mhaisalkar. He said that the convention had been a success because of joint effort. “Society keeps taking form through literature and culture. The future direction of society is reflected through literature. Literature is just as important for a nation as the sectors like education, health, industry etc,” the Union Minister opined. He informed that efforts were being taken for digitisation of saint literature so that it can be presented to future generation.

Senior litterateur Dr M R Joshi and President of Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Prakashak Sangh Rajeev Barve were felicitated at the hands of Gadkari. M R Joshi, Rajeev Barve as well as Usha Tambe also expressed their views on the occasion. Tambe called upon organisations interested in hosting the 97th Sahitya Sammelan to send applications by April 15, 2023.

For the organisation of the mega literary event, Wardha’s Collector Rahul Kardile, Mahesh Mokalkar, Education Officer Sachin Jagtap, Muralidhar Belkhode, Harish Ithape, Ashish Pohane, Prakash Page, Kiran Sagar, Milind Joshi, Chapalgaonkar, Prakash Paigude, Prakash Holkar, Purushottam Sapre, A K Akare, Vidya Deodhar, Adv Pramod Adkar, Balasaheb Deshmukh, Ranjana Datey, Prakash Garge, Satish Taral, Gajanan Nare, Sanjay Ingle Tigaonkar, Narendra Pathak, Dr Ravindra Shobhane, Hemchandra Vaidya and Subhash Patankar were felicitated. Photographer Rahul Telrandhe presented a painting to Nitin Gadkari. Report of convention was read by Pradeep Datey while the resolution was read by Ujjwala Mehendle. Seema Rothe-Shete compered the event while Dr Gajanan Nare proposed a vote of thanks.