Jalandhar January 18 (Jaswinder Singh Azad)- Apeejay College of Fine Arts, Jalandhar is always working for the multifaceted development of the students taking inspiration from its Founder Chairman Dr. Styapal Ji and the constant guidance of Mrs. Sushma Paul Barlia (President, Apeejay Education) and also works continuously to provide platforms and opportunities for its faculty memebers to keep updating their skills and knowledge by conducting FDPs. In this series, the PG Department of English of the college organized a Faculty Development Programme where a discussion of the book ‘Phoenix in Flames‘ was done. The book is written by Dr. Rachna Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax, New Delhi, who has now established herself as a successful writer.
Principal Dr. Neerja Dhingra warmly welcomed her and also congratulated her for her latest book. She also said,” I am happy to have a writer amongst us, who writes fiction by blending the different shades of emotions together and presents the narrative in a way that a reader can easily connect with its characters.” She added Dr. Singh is able to express innumerable emotions of the mind beautifully through stories.
Also, it is amazing how Dr. Rachna Singh, associated with the Indian Revenue Service, is providing an opportunity to emerging poets, writers and artists to emerge freely through ‘The Wise Owl’ -an e-magazine and also she is a member of the Language Panel of the Lok Sabha. She is also providing her services as an expert and advisor to the Lok Sabha Secretariat as a Research Associate.
Dr. Navjot Deol from Department of English said that the stories written in this book take us from despair to hope
Dr. Sunit Kaur, Head, Department of English introduced everyone to the achievements of Dr. Singh and while reviewing the book ‘Phoenix in Flames’, Dr. Navjot Deol from Department of English said that the stories written in this book take us from despair to hope.
Dr. Rachna Singh also talked about her inspiration and her journey of becoming a writer and said that initially she started writing on economics and finances along with literary enthusiasm and this has helped her to create a distinct identity for herself. She added, “My critics often call me a temperamental writer, which I take it as a compliment.” About the book ‘Phoenix in Flames’, she said, “Through eight stories in this book, I have tried to narrate the pain of eight women who faced adverse circumstances in their real life and emerged out of it as strong women.”
She added even today, under patriarchal power, women face the terror of mismatched marriages, early marriages, domestic violence, unwanted births and Phoenix in Flames is dedicated to all those ordinary women who faced difficult situations with their determination and patience and thus became extraordinary in their lives. These women, coming from different walks of life, face their sorrows and adversities of life with a smile and become a source of inspiration for everyone.
Dr. Rachna Singh was honoured with a memento by Principal Dr. Neerja Dhingra and Dr. Sunit Kaur, Head Department of English. Ms Jaspreet Kaur from Department of English conducted the stage efficiently for the successful completion of the programme.