Writers ponder politics and sports at the Literature Festival

At the Chandigarh Press Club, the Journalists’ Literature Festival kicked off its second day with a discussion on the development of stories in Hindi journalism and how it moved from short to long forms.

When Arun Naithani traced the history of Hindi journalism back to the liberation fight, he noted that the first Hindi weekly was published in Kolkata, a non-Hindi-speaking area.

In an interview titled “Sports in India: Cricket vs. Others,” veteran journalist Vijay Lokapally was questioned about the reasons cricket was more popular than other sports. He gave the BCCI credit for bringing glamour to cricket. Prior to 1983’s World Cup victory, hockey players were highly valued, but this began to alter. The BCCI deserves a great deal of credit for that, he said.

TV host Vikrant Gupta said, “We all know that India is not a sports-loving country,” in reference to the nation’s passion for cricket. The idea that it is a nation that adores cricket is false. Indeed, it is a nation that adores cricket.

Hockey writer Prabhjot Singh emphasized that sports serve as a catalyst for class divisions, pointing out that hockey, cricket, and golf were introduced to India by the British. While the aristocrats could play golf, the middle and upper classes, as well as certain royals, preferred cricket, while lower middle-class Indians played hockey in the cantonments.

“Political narratives in state and national elections: BJP versus the opposition” was the topic of discussion in the third session. When asked whether the 2024 election was, as predicted, a one-horse race, Nidhi Sharma said, “It’s not over until it’s over.” Observe the fate of the India Shining initiative. Pulwama was a godsend in 2019, when even the BJP was unsure of its chances of winning a second term. “INC messaging is lost; few people are aware that Indira Gandhi had her own radio show on All India Radio prior to Modi starting Mann Ki Baat,” the woman said.

But according to Jatin Gandhi, the BJP’s story was about Ram Rajya, not Ram Temple. The BJP was quick to seize the chance that presented itself. “The temple exists, but its usefulness is restricted. Thus, that is Ram Rajya’s promise,” he said.

At the end of the day, there was a debate over whether the US-India relationship was the most significant alliance of the twenty-first century. “The fact that the US would handle the Pannun case the way it did, speaks of a trust deficit,” Varghese K. George stated in response to a question on the murder attempt on Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Actually, we are not quite aware of the complete story.

“Trust between the two countries is just beginning to grow,” said Rahul Singh. The acquisition of advanced drones and planes is one of the largest transactions. These are the pinnacles of military technology. India is essential to the US as a check on China’s expanding ambitions.

The India-US relationship, according to Jayant Jacob, has seen many highs and lows. The Pannun controversy demonstrates how little the American elite trusts India.