SRINAGAR — The third edition of the Chinar Book Festival will be held in Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital here from July 18, the organisers said on Thursday.
The nine-day festival, organised by the National Book Trust (NBT), will be held at Kashmir International Conference Centre (formerly known as the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre).
It will bring together readers, writers, publishers and artists from across the country for nine days of literature, dialogue and cultural celebration, NBT Director Yuvraj Malik said at a press conference here.
Over 200 publishers and book stalls displaying titles in English, Urdu, Kashmiri, Hindi and several other Indian languages will feature in the festival from July 18-26, Malik said.
The book festival will have literary discussions, author interactions, book launches, workshops, storytelling sessions, creative activities for children and cultural performances.
It will be inaugurated by J-K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, and the inaugural ceremony will witness the release of An Indian Muslim Speaks by noted scholar and educationist Hafeezur Rahman.
Another major highlight will be the release of 24 bilingual books developed through the first-ever Gojri Translation Workshop conducted during the last edition of the festival, the NBT director said.
The literary festival will also witness the release of the first set of novels developed under the Rajtarangini workshop.
The festival’s Children’s Corner will offer creative workshops, storytelling sessions and interactive activities. Besides this, visitors can also explore Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya, a digital library platform offering free access to thousands of e-books across genres and languages.
A landmark addition this year is the ‘5K Reading Run – Together We Read, Together We Lead’, bringing a first-of-its-kind reading movement to Srinagar. The event aims to combine books and fitness as thousands of schoolchildren are expected to participate in it.
Srinagar Deputy Commissioner Akshay Labroo said the festival is open to all and the entry will be free.
“We have conducted two editions successfully and the third one will be on a larger scale and will have many more events,” he said.
The festival is being organised by the NBT, under the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Srinagar district administration and the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL). — (PTI)