Online Lecture and Story Writing Competition Organized at Khaja Bandanawaz University on the Birth Anniversary of Munshi Premchand

The Department of Urdu and the Department of Hindi of Khaja Bandanawaz University, Kalaburagi, jointly organized an online lecture and story writing competition on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the great short story writer Munshi Premchand on 30 July 2026 at Faculty of Languages. The programme was presided over by Professor Nishat Arif Hussaini, Dean, Faculty of Languages.

The programme commenced with the recitation of the Holy Quran by Dr. Abdus Samad, Head of the Department of Urdu. Dr. Atiullah conducted the proceedings, while Dr. Athar Moizuddin, Assistant Professor, Department of Urdu, introduced the special guest.

As the keynote speaker, Professor Dr. Dastagir Deshmukh from Lokseva Arts, Science and Commerce College, Aurangabad (Maharashtra), delivered an insightful lecture on the literary contributions of Premchand. He highlighted that Premchand’s stories are not only important for understanding pre-independence India but also provide valuable insights into Indian society after independence. Through his writings, Premchand portrayed rural life, the struggles of farmers, poverty, exploitation, social inequalities, and the challenges faced by common people with simplicity and realism. This is why his literature continues to remain relevant and serves as an important reference for understanding society even today.

On this occasion, a story writing competition was also organized, in which around more than 50thanstudents actively participated. Inspired by Premchand’s literary tradition, the participants wrote creative stories on various social themes. The objective of the competition was to encourage creativity among students and familiarize them with the literature of Premchand. Through this programme, a successful effort was made to discuss Premchand’s personality and literary services and to introduce his art of storytelling to the new generation.

The programme was successfully conducted with the special cooperation of Dr. Maimoona Begum, Dr. Shahbaz Arshad, Dr. Raisa Nasreen from the Department of Urdu, and Dr. Bharathi Lakshmi Pal, Assistant Professor, Department of Hindi.

At the conclusion of the programme, Dr. Deshmukh Afshan Begum, Head of the Department of Hindi, delivered a vote of thanks. She expressed gratitude to all the guests, faculty members, research scholars, students, and participants. She emphasized that Premchand’s literature still has the power to guide society in the right direction and that such academic and literary programmes should continue to be organized to connect the younger generation with his writings.