Srinagar, July 13: The National Book Trust (NBT), India, in collaboration with the District Administration Srinagar and the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL), will organise the third edition of the Chinar Book Festival at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) from July 18 to 26.
The nine-day literary festival is expected to bring together readers, writers, publishers, artists, and intellectuals from across the country. More than 200 publishers and booksellers will participate, showcasing thousands of titles in English, Hindi, Urdu, Kashmiri, Gojri, Dogri and several other Indian languages.
According to the organisers, this year’s festival will witness the participation of several eminent personalities from the fields of literature, cinema, public administration and culture. Among those expected to attend are noted filmmaker Muzaffar Ali, producer Meera Ali, filmmaker Kapil Matto, Bollywood actor Aswath Bhatt, Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, and former bureaucrats Chaitanya Prasad and Rajiv Kumar, who will interact with audiences during various sessions.
Chief Convener of the Chinar Book Festival, Amit Wanchoo, said this year’s edition promises to be one of the most engaging so far, with a wide range of literary and cultural programmes planned throughout the festival.
Visitors will have the opportunity to attend literary discussions, author interactions, book launches, workshops, storytelling sessions and cultural performances. One of the major highlights will be the release of 24 bilingual books produced through the Gojri Translation Workshop conducted during the second edition of the festival in 2025. The translated works will be available in Hindi, Urdu, Dogri, Kashmiri and English.
Books developed under last year’s Rajtarangini Samvad initiative will also be unveiled, further strengthening the festival’s focus on preserving and promoting Kashmir’s literary and cultural heritage.
The festival programme features discussions with writers, journalists, scholars, educationists, filmmakers and public intellectuals on a wide range of subjects, including journalism, storytelling, Urdu language and Kashmiriyat, multilingual education under the National Education Policy (NEP), public policy, women’s leadership, youth and nation-building, the Urdu legacy in Indian cinema, traditional crafts and fashion, and environmental sustainability.
The evenings will feature Mushairas, Sufiyana performances and cultural programmes celebrating the region’s rich artistic traditions.
Young readers will have a dedicated Children’s Corner offering storytelling sessions, creative workshops and interactive activities. A Digital Reading Corner will also be set up to showcase technology-driven reading initiatives, including the Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya digital library platform.
A new attraction this year will be the 5K Reading Marathon – “Together We Read, Together We Lead”, the flagship event of Shiksha Saptah 2026.
Organisers said the marathon will attempt to secure entries in the India Book of Records and Asia Book of Records by bringing together thousands of schoolchildren in a unique initiative that combines reading with physical activity on the streets of Srinagar.
The festival will also witness the launch of “Chota Bheem & Vidya: Big Green Mission,” a children’s comic developed by Bisleri in partnership with NBT. Published in Hindi, English and Urdu, the comic aims to encourage environmental awareness and sustainable habits among children. As part of the initiative, 20,000 copies will be distributed among schoolchildren across Jammu and Kashmir.
