Srinagar, Jul 18: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday inaugurated the third edition of the Chinar Book Festival at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) on the banks of Dal Lake, describing the event as a growing movement to promote reading, literature and intellectual discourse in Jammu and Kashmir.
Congratulating the National Book Trust (NBT) and the organisers, the Lieutenant Governor said the festival had evolved into a vibrant platform connecting readers, writers and thinkers while showcasing India’s cultural and linguistic diversity.
“This is more than a book festival. It is a movement to build a community of readers and writers. Our aim is to make Jammu and Kashmir a hub of knowledge, culture and creativity,” he said.
Sinha urged young people to cultivate a reading habit, encouraging students to read at least one book beyond their academic curriculum every month and aspiring writers to write regularly.
He described books as “living conversations” that encourage critical thinking, inspire creativity and help people grow. “The written word has immense power. With imagination, it becomes a lasting force for change,” he said.
Calling the Chinar Book Festival a symbol of peace, change and self-belief, the Lieutenant Governor said the event sends a strong message that “no power is greater than the power of the pen.”
He said the festival had, in a short span, emerged as a national platform for ideas, debates and knowledge exchange, going far beyond book launches and exhibitions.
“The real success of a book festival is not measured by book sales but by the ideas and conversations it generates. If even one young person finds a book here that changes their life, the festival has achieved its purpose,” he said.
Highlighting the festival’s contribution to preserving cultural heritage, Sinha said previous editions had helped revive the Sharada script and promoted linguistic and cultural exchanges through initiatives such as Tamil-Kashmiri dialogues.
He expressed hope that the festival would continue to connect libraries, educational institutions and book clubs across Jammu and Kashmir, extending the culture of reading beyond the annual event.
During the inaugural ceremony, the Lieutenant Governor visited book stalls, interacted with exhibitors and released several publications in different languages. He also asked organisers to plan a similar book festival in Jammu.
Among the publications released was the Urdu translation of Jammu Kashmir & Ladakh Through the Ages. He also launched 24 bilingual books produced through the first Gojri Translation Workshop held during the 2025 Chinar Book Festival. The collection includes titles in Dogri-Gojri, English-Gojri, Kashmiri-Gojri, Urdu-Gojri and Hindi-Gojri.
The Lieutenant Governor also unveiled the first set of five novels developed under the Rajtarangini Workshop, an NBT initiative that reimagines characters from Kalhana’s 12th-century chronicle Rajtarangini for contemporary readers.
Other notable releases included The City of Seven Bridges, the English translation of Kashmiri author Gauri Shankar Raina’s Hindi novel Saat Pulon Ka Shahar, and An Indian Muslim Speaks by scholar Dr Hafeezur Rahman.
Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, National Book Trust Chairman Prof Milind Sudhakar Marathe, Commissioner Secretary, School Education and Higher Education, Ram Niwas Sharma, NBT Director Yuvraj Malik, Chief Convener of the Chinar Book Festival Dr Amit Wanchoo, National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language Director Dr M D Shams Equbal, J&K Waqf Board Chairperson Dr Syed Darakhshan Andrabi, SKUAST-Kashmir Vice Chancellor Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai, Principal Secretary Culture Brij Mohan Sharma, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Akshay Labroo, SSP Srinagar G V Sundeep Chakravarthy, eminent literary personalities, students, book lovers and senior officials attended the inaugural function.
