SRINAGAR: The third edition of the Chinar Book Festival will begin in Srinagar on July 18, bringing together readers, writers, publishers and artists from across the country for a nine-day literary and cultural event, organisers announced on Thursday.
Organised by the National Book Trust (NBT) under the Ministry of Education, the festival will be held at the Kashmir International Conference Centre (formerly Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre) from July 18 to 26 in collaboration with the Srinagar district administration and the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL).
Addressing a press conference, NBT Director Yuvraj Malik said the festival will feature more than 200 publishers and book stalls showcasing books in English, Urdu, Kashmiri, Hindi and several other Indian languages.
The festival will include literary discussions, author interactions, book launches, workshops, storytelling sessions, creative activities for children and cultural performances.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha will inaugurate the event. The inaugural ceremony will also witness the release Of an Indian Muslim Speaks by noted scholar and educationist Hafeezur Rahman.
Another key highlight will be the release of 24 bilingual books developed through the first-ever Gojri Translation Workshop held during the previous edition of the festival. The first set of novels produced under the Rajtarangini workshop will also be released.
The Children’s Corner will host storytelling sessions, creative workshops and interactive activities, while visitors will be able to explore the Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya, a digital library offering free access to thousands of e-books across multiple genres and languages.
A new feature this year is the ‘5K Reading Run – Together We Read, Together We Lead’, aimed at promoting reading and fitness, with thousands of schoolchildren expected to participate.
Srinagar Deputy Commissioner Akshay Labroo said the festival will be open to the public with free entry.
“We have conducted two editions successfully and the third one will be on a larger scale and will have many more events,” he said.
