About Us

Punjab has borne the brunt of ruthless invaders since times inmemorable. History has it that the people of this land were subjected to untold horrors and deprivations over the ages. Repeated wars gave birth to a hardy population that brought forth some of the finest warriors who walked the earth.

With war came sacrifices that spurred great tales of heroism and valor. The great Mahabharata, the world’s longest poem, is set in this very region. To honour and commemorate the legendary bravery and sacrifices of our ancestors from this great land, we bring to you India’s First Military Literature Festival.

The literature festival is an annual affair conducted by the Punjab Government and the Western Command to honour and commemorate the legendary bravery and sacrifices of the Indian soldiers and also to bring on to a common platform expert to deliberate on contemporary military, security and geopolitical issues.

1. In 2017, HE The Governor of Punjab, Shri VPS Badnore and The Honourable Chief Minister of Punjab, Capt Amarinder Singh conceived the idea of the Military Literature Festival at Chandigarh. The inaugural Military Literature Festival, Chandigarh was held at Lake Sports Complex, Sector – 5, (Sukhna Lake) Chandigarh in December 2017. The idea of the festival was born out of the fact that Punjab is a border state that has always been at the forefront in the defence of the Nation and the tri-city, comprising Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula have the largest concentration of Defence Services officers anywhere in the country. The city is host to four former Service Chiefs and almost hundred plus retired three-star generals or equivalent.
2. The Punjab Government, Western Command (army), Chandimandir cantt. and Chandigarh Administration (U.T.) joined hands to create a unique and very fruitful public festival. It’s essence is reflected on the legacy of bravery, sacrifice and yeomanry service of the people of the region towards the country as a whole, since the earliest recorded times.
3. The inaugural festival was a grand success, which was marked by a huge public participation and attendance. In keeping with the large canvas of the military Literature, a number of smaller events were held to create an awareness and participation by all sections of society at various places in the region. These met with an unqualified success and appreciation by the public.
4. The ambience of the lake club complementing the spirit of the literature festival with its lake and wooded campus, set in the lap of nature. A perfect setting for the greatest military writers, soldiers, thinkers, authors, adventurers, sportsmen, poets, artists, journalists, technocrats, documentary and film makers and military industrial manufacturers, all coming together to share their experiences and expertise with each other and with the public.
5. Since its inception, seven festivals have been successfully held, at Chandigarh. The last Festival (7th edition) was held at Lake Sports Complex, Sector – 5, Chandigarh from 02-03 Dec 2023 with stupendous success. The reach on Facebook has now reached five Million and three lakhs on Youtube. The Association successfully conducted Military Festival at Patiala from 02-03 Feb 24 along with the traditional Heritage festival.
6. Future Events:
   a) Nov/Dec 24 – 8th Military Literature Festival, Chandigarh
   b) Feb 25 – Military Literature Festival Patiala


7. Executive Body Members:
   

   Sr. No	Names	Appointment
   1.	Hon’ble Chief Minister of Punjab	Patron
   2.	Lieutenant General TS Shergill, PVSM (Retd)	Chairman
   3.	Lieutenant General Chetinder Singh, AVSM, SM,VSM (Retd)	Vice Chairman
   4.	Major General TPS Waraich, VSM** (Retd)	General Secretary
   5.	Major General BS Grewal, VSM(Retd)	Member
   6.	Brigadier JS Arora (Retd)	Secretary cum Treasurer
   7.	Lieutenant General PS Grewal (Retd)	Joint Secretary
   8.	Mr Kanwalvir Singh Kang	Member

8. Historian:Mr Mandeep Bajwa


9. Chief Coordinator:Colonel Tejinder Dhaliwal (retd) (and Officer-in-charge Association)


10. Executive Body Members.:
    

    Sr. No	Names	Appointment
    1.	Lieutenant General JS Cheema, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, (retd) Vice Chancellor, Maharaja Bhupindra Singh Sports University, Patiala	Senior Research Scholar
    2.	Major General Harvijay Singh, SM (retd)	Senior Research Scholar
    3.	Major General Amritpal Singh, (retd)	Senior Research Scholar

11. Office Address of Association
    
    • Office Address:
      Office of MLFA, Sainik Sadan, Near Silvi Park, Phase – 10, Sector-64, SAS NAGAR (Mohali) Punjab, Pin-160 062 (0172-4627671, 4627738)
    • Official email id:
      festcoordinator.mlf@gmail.com
    • Website :
      www.militaryliteraturefestival.com