LUCKNOW, Aug. 1 -- Various events marked the 145th birth anniversary of renowned Hindi writer Munshi Premchand (1880-1936) in the state capital on Thursday. Rich tribute was paid to him at a programme organised at the Kaifi Azmi Academy here. Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA), Progressive Writers' Association, Democratic Writers' Association, Jan Sanskriti Manch and Kaifi Azmi Academy had jointly organised the programme. Speaking on the occasion, Prof Suraj Bahadur Thapa of Lucknow University's Hindi department said Premchand was not just a storyteller but also an aware journalist. He said his writings focusing on camaraderie and communal harmony were not inspired by the environment he was raised in. "His writings are a clear example of the shared culture across the country. He believed that the freedom struggle can be fought for two reasons -independence and liberation. We did receive independence but the marginalised classes-Dalits, farmers and women did not get liberated," Prof Thapa claimed. Nadeem Hasnain, Virendra Yadav, Kaushal Kishore, Nalin Ranjan Singh, Preeti Chaudhary and Khan Ahmad Farooq were other prominent speakers at the programme....