Government Mohindra College organised “Authors in Conversation” with Neel Kamal Puri and Santosh K Singh
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ May 16,2025
Government Mohindra College Patiala organised a literary event “Authors in Conversation” with authors Neel Kamal Puri, a renowned educationist and fiction writer, and Dr. Santosh K. Singh, Associate Professor of Sociology at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University, New Delhi.
The programme was one among a series of events “Safar-e-Fakhr” planned under the visionary leadership of college Principal Prof. (Dr) Maninder Sidhu, to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of Government Mohindra College.
College Principal Prof. (Dr) Maninder Sidhu introduced the guests, highlighting their contribution to academia and the literary field of Indian writing in English. This was followed by a lively discussion between the authors.
Both the authors spoke about the need for greater collaboration between literary writers and social scientists. They insisted on the role of imagination and critical thinking for creating works that engage with the common people.
Neel Kamal Puri talked about the inspiration she got from Punjab for writing her novels and Dr. Santosh similarly talked about his sociological research based on Deras of Punjab.
Both the writers highlighted the diverse and multilayered nature of Punjabi society. They insisted on the need to understand Punjabi society in a comprehensive way without any prejudices.
Government Mohindra College organised “Authors in Conversation” with Neel Kamal Puri and Santosh K Singh. The discussion was followed by a Q&A session with the audience. Vote of thanks was proposed by Prof. Loveleen Parmar and proceedings were conducted by Prof. Mohammad Sohail.
Prominent personalities including the members of College Council, alumni, professors and students of nearby colleges, college faculty members and students were present on the occasion.
About Neel Kamal Puri and Dr. Santosh K. Singh
Neelkamal Puri is an Indian author, columnist and a college teacher. Born in Ludhiana, she grew up in Patiala, where she did her schooling from the Yadavindra Public School. She was one of the first 30 girls to be admitted to the school, the school being boys only before that. Since 1979, she has worked as a lecturer in English Literature at different colleges in Patiala and Chandigarh. She is currently teaching Literature and Media Studies at the Government College for Girls, Chandigarh.
Dr. Santosh K. Singh, Associate Professor of Sociology at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University, New Delhi has a teaching experience of more than two decades (Since 1999). His area of expertise is Sociology of Religion, Globalization, Caste/ Religious Movements in Punjab, India ,Rural Transformation and Change, Sociology of Agriculture / Agribusiness
