Bilal Bashir Bhat
As golden leaves rustle in the August breeze, heralding the onset of a poetic season in Kashmir, the Valley once again finds itself embraced by the soul-stirring magic of literature. The second edition of the Chinar Book Festival has unfurled its vibrant canvas in Srinagar, drawing bibliophiles, authors, poets, translators, and cultural enthusiasts from across the country for a nine-day celebration of written word and creative thought.
More than a literary gathering, the Chinar Book Festival has become a literary pilgrimage, a convergence of languages, traditions, and imaginations beneath the timeless shade of the chinar trees. Following the resounding success of its inaugural edition in 2024, this year’s festival arrives with a richer, more inclusive programme designed to spark curiosity and cultivate intellectual camaraderie across generations.
Set against the shimmering waters of Dal Lake, the festival features over 130 publishers and stalls from across India, offering a curated trove of titles in English, Urdu, Hindi, Kashmiri, Dogri, Tamil, and Gojri. From bilingual children’s tales to scholarly tomes, regional fiction to emerging digital formats, the diversity of literature on display mirrors the multilingual, multiethnic soul of Kashmir.
Yet the festival is far more than an exhibition of books. It is an intellectual symposium, a living archive of Kashmir’s cultural pulse. Notable among this year’s highlights is the Rajtarangini Samvad, a literary deep dive into the classical chronicles of Kashmir, engaging scholars and readers in critical conversations around text, memory, and history.
The celebration of indigenous script and language takes centre stage with a National Exhibition on the ancient Sharda Script, reviving the lost script of Kashmiri heritage. In a historic first, the Gojri Translation Workshop brings together translators and linguists to produce bilingual publications, aiming to preserve and promote regional dialects through a shared literary enterprise.
In a remarkable gesture under the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat initiative, the Tamil-Kashmiri Samvad creates a rare and lyrical fusion between southern and northern Indian literary traditions, weaving a dialogue of shared philosophies and aesthetics.
The festival events include:
• Dialogues with eminent authors and poets
• Creative writing and illustration workshops
• Children’s storytelling corners
• Calligraphy and laughter therapy sessions
• Cultural performances of Chhakri, Bhand Pather, Mushairas, and folk music
• And the immersive Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya, offering free access to thousands of e-books
To further inspire budding readers, copies of Exam Warriors by Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi are being distributed among school children. Each evening, the festival space transforms into a living stage of Kashmir’s rich oral and performative traditions, reviving not just literature but collective memory and identity.
Inaugurated on Saturday by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the festival was lauded as a vital bridge between the past and the future.
“Books are not merely carriers of knowledge, they are torchbearers of civilisation,” remarked Pradhan. “Jammu and Kashmir, as one of the oldest laboratories of cultural synthesis, is the ideal host for this literary revolution.”
LG Sinha, reflecting on the transformative power of books, said: “This annual festival is more than an event. It is a platform where readers, thinkers, and writers connect to newer perspectives and challenge received histories.”
Calling upon the literary community to engage in historical re-examination, LG Sinha urged that writers “reclaim narratives distorted by colonial historiography” and reassert India’s civilisational contributions to literature, science, and spirituality.
Dr. Shamas Eqbal, Director of NCPUL, aptly captured the spirit of the moment:
“The Chinar Book Festival is not merely an event; it is an evolving literary movement, a harmonious symphony where tradition dances with modernity, and language transcends boundaries.”
Echoing this sentiment, Yuvraj Malik, Director of the National Book Trust, envisioned the festival as a dynamic catalyst to foster reading culture among youth, promising newer dimensions in the coming editions.
Nitish Rajora, Director of Information, Jammu and Kashmir, remarked that the nine-day festival is poised to make a significant impact on Kashmir’s vibrant literary landscape. He emphasised upon local media to cover day to day activities of the festival positively.
