Srinagar, July 18: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday said the government’s vision is to transform the Union Territory into a national hub for knowledge, culture and creativity, while urging young people to embrace reading, writing and the preservation of the region’s rich linguistic and cultural heritage.
Addressing the inauguration of the third edition of the Chinar Book Festival in Srinagar, Sinha described the event as more than a literary gathering, calling it a movement aimed at building a vibrant community of readers, writers and thinkers.
“Our goal is to transform Jammu and Kashmir into a national hub for knowledge, culture and creativity,” Sinha said, expressing hope that the festival would encourage young people to develop a daily reading habit, protect endangered languages and use literature to celebrate diversity and mutual respect.
The Lieutenant Governor said books are “living conversations” that inspire critical thinking, challenge beliefs and promote personal growth. He added that the Chinar Book Festival has, in a short span, evolved into a significant intellectual movement and a national platform for dialogue, debate and the exchange of ideas.
Drawing a parallel between writers and Kashmir’s iconic Chinar tree, Sinha said both symbolise endurance, wisdom and resilience. He stressed that restoring Jammu and Kashmir as a leading centre of education, literature and youth empowerment is a shared responsibility.
Highlighting the festival’s cultural significance, Sinha appreciated efforts to revive the ancient Sharada script and initiatives such as Tamil-Kashmiri literary dialogues, saying they reflect the spirit of “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat” by connecting languages, regions and generations.
He also said the success of a book festival should not be measured by book sales alone but by the ideas, conversations and collaborations it generates. According to him, the festival’s greatest achievement would be inspiring even one young reader to discover a book that changes the course of their life.
