Srinagar, Aug 17 (KNO): Commissioner Secretary, General Administration Department (GAD), Sanjeev Verma on Saturday said Kashmir has been a centre of knowledge dating back to the Vedic period.
His remarks came during the inaugural ceremony of the first-ever nine-day Chinar Book Festival at SKICC, which began on Saturday and will run until August 25.
According to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Verma said people must “read well” to understand Kashmir’s rich history. “Kashmir has long been a society of well-read people,” he said.
The Secretary GAD lamented the lack of comprehensive historical records from earlier times. “Kashmir's journey started long ago,” he said, adding that the region has been known for its rich culture, music, Sufism, engineering, medical science, research, yoga and Ayurveda for the past 4,000 to 5,000 years.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Srinagar, Dr Bilal Mohi-Ud-Din Bhat, also spoke at the event. He expressed his pride and satisfaction in seeing the book festival come to fruition. “I believe books can change the world. We have been planning this festival for the last two and a half months, and today, my dream has come true,” he said.
The Chinar Book Festival, the first national book festival in the Kashmir Valley, is being held in collaboration with the National Book Trust, India (Ministry of Education, Government of India), and the District Administration Srinagar. The festival will feature over 200 stalls offering books in various languages, including English, Urdu, Kashmiri, Hindi, Dogri and other Indian languages.
Set against the backdrop of the picturesque Dal Lake, the event will also see participation from the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL) and offer special discounts, providing an opportunity for readers to engage with a wide array of books from more than a thousand publishers nationwide—(KNO)