Ludhiana, January 12: The 29th Lohri Festival for Diyan, organized by the Malwa Cultural Forum Punjab, created a unique history in the cultural field today. The event was held at Guru Nanak Bhawan in Ludhiana and was attended by people from various walks of life. The festival was organized under the leadership of Forum Chairman Krishan Kumar Bawa, Forum President Jasveer Singh Rana Jhandey, Chairperson Simmi Kawatara, Forum President Inderjeet Kaur Ubrai, Convener Ranjit Singh Sarpanch, Malkeet Dakha, Vice Chairman Sukhvinder Singh Baseemi, Vice President Ravinder Sian from Canada, Nirmal Jodha, Jaswant Chhapa, Rachpal Singh Talwada, and Sarabjit Manu.
During the event, 125 young girls were gifted dresses, toys, sweets, and shawls for their mothers.
At the event, Manni Kheva donated bottles of milk for the children, Rahul Jindal Hambra contributed 125 boxes of sweets, Ashok Vermaani provided toys for the children, while Simmi Kawatara gifted dresses to all the children. Shawls were presented to the mothers by Rana Jhandey's mother, Sundar Kaur Ji. The Fellowship Therapy Club, led by Lakhwinder Kaur and Sonia, contributed to the Shagun distribution for the children, and Karamjeet Kaur Chandran also provided Shagun to the little girls.
Honoring individuals who made significant contributions in various fields, the following people were recognized with awards: Gurjitinder Singh Randhawa was awarded the Sohon Singh Bhakna Memorial Award, S. Ashok Bhora received the Jagdev Singh Jassowal Memorial Award, Dalbir Singh Kathuria was honored with the Sant Singh Sekhon Memorial Award, Jagdev Mann received the Dev Thirike Memorial Award, Principal Manjeet Kaur Sodhiyan was given the Dr. Radha Krishnan Memorial Award, Ranjit Mani was honored with the Kuldeep Mank Memorial Award, Amrik Rauni received the Virinder Memorial Award, Inderjeet Pal Kaur Bhinder was awarded the Dalip Kaur Tiwana Memorial Award, Kiran Dhaliwal USA received the Mother Teresa Memorial Award, Dr. Mohanjeet Kaur was honored with the Miss Brown Memorial Award, and Daljeet Singh Hisowal USA received the Jagdev Singh Jassowal Memorial Award.
All the honored personalities praised the Forum's 28 years of celebrating Lohri for the Diyan and acknowledged the hard work of Bawa Rana Jhandey.
The 29th Lohri Festival for Diyan began, as always, with the song "Mela Dhiya Da" sung by Pali Detwalia, who set the tone for the event. The celebration was further enriched with new and traditional songs, keeping the spirit of the festival alive. Jaswant Sandheela brought vibrant colors to the event, while Sarabjeet Mangat showcased the traditional 'Nuh Sass Da Gidda.' The Gidda team from IT also made a unique mark during the festivities.
Sukhwinder Sukhhi mesmerized the audience with his song "Jeevan Diyaan Sachaiyan," leaving the listeners in awe. Sufi artist Balveer made a distinct impression with his unique style, while Ranjit Mani got applause from the audience with his songs "Mere Ranjhe Da Principal Ji, Kattio Na College Vicho Na" and "Maan Da Pyaar."
Muhammad Sadiq and Gurbhajan Gill, who watched the live broadcast on Malwa TV, congratulated the entire Malwa Cultural Forum team for their efforts. Raj Dhaliwal’s Gidda performance was a standout, and Navjot Jarg’s Kaveshri Jatha connected the history of the region with the present.
Husnpreet Kaur and Shalini sang songs dedicated to the girls, further adding to the success of the festival.
The festival also remembered the great personalities of India, such as Dr. Manmohan Singh, Abdul Kalam, Ratan Tata, Sir Ganga Ram, Shri O.P. Munjal (Hero), Hansraj Pahwa (Avon), Roshan Lal Gupta (R.N. Gupta), Ratan Chand Goel, Vidya Sagar Rampal, Tara Singh Vishwakarma, Cultural Patriarch Jagdev Singh Jassowal, Sant Singh Sekhon, Surjeet Paatar, Yamla Jatt, Narendra Biba, Kuldeep Mank, Surinder Chhinda, and Jagmohan Kaur.
At the event, Umrao Singh, a social worker from Himachal, shared the joy by distributing Lohri laddoos made by his granddaughter. Newlywed couples Arjun Bawa and Manjot Bawa were honored with shawls.
The festival's organizing team included Secretary Resham Singh Sagoo, Press Incharge Gaurav Mahindru, Ranveer Hambra, Lakhwinder Singh, Prof. Gursharan Kaur, and notable figures like Charanjit Singh Vishwakarma, Inderjeet Singh Nawayug, Rajinder Sarhali, Harjeet Singh Saini, Pragat Singh Grewal, Colonel Bhamb, Sonia Alag, Rimpy Johar, Davinder Basant, and Swaran Kaur Sagoo, among others.
