My 2025 Kashmir visit and the Chinar Book Festival

The Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) overlooking the Dal Lake. A billboard advertising the Chinar Book Festival can be seen in the distance.

I visited Kashmir in late July this year, after a gap of 3 years. My trips to Kashmir are often spent with much needed family time and, of course, savoring the calm and serenity of the beautiful landscapes. As precious and mesmerizing as that is every single time, this time, I was subtly and subconsciously hoping for something more.

So I was lucky that my trip coincided with the Chinar Book Festival, large banners of which I saw as I crossed the Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre on my way home from the airport. The 10 day festival was to start 3 days after I arrived. Perfect.

Being held in the not so long aftermath of one of the most devastating attacks in Kashmir, the book festival's atmosphere was like a breath of fresh air. The energy that literature, arts and cultural enthusiasts brought there bore little of the somberness which was otherwise prevalent in the valley. The army's strengthened presence served as a great reassurance but also a reminder of the recent happenings.

Inside the festival, however, was a vibrant student dominated crowd and the celebration of arts and culture of a land known for it's rich cultural heritage. Kashmir has long been a bed of not just arts and culture, but spirituality, philosophy, poetry, scholarship, craftsmanship, trade and timeless thought—a valley where wisdom and beauty have forever flowed like its rivers.

A wonderfully curated list of eminent authors, filmmakers, journalists and scholars passionately graced the stage to impart their knowledge and experience through some very interesting panel discussions, only to be met with equally passionate and hungry students and aspirations.

I personally enjoyed discussions on Kalhana's Rajatarangini, there was a workshop with 9 esteemed writers being invited to write a book on a character each from the ancient book, such that it would be easy for teenagers to understand. We were allowed to attend the workshop as audience! I also enjoyed panel discussions on Mukhbir with journalist Mr. Zafar Chaudhary and the author, Brigadier Sushil Tanwar, The Magic of Movies: Crafting Stories & Characters with Kashmiri filmmakers Mr. Kapil Mattoo, Mr. Mushtaq Bala, Mr. Gul Reyaz, Mr. Ayaash Arif and panelist Mr. Manoj Sheeri. The latter was all the more interesting as I aspire to make films on Kashmir and am in the process of writing the stories for these films.

If that weren't enough, the festival brimmed with wonderful live performances, making it almost impossible to choose what to attend, lest my family suggest I pitch a tent and stay there.

Being a book festival, there were a host of publishers who set up stalls, selling books at a 20% discount. I purchased Lal Ded by Jayalal Kaul and The Natyashastra by Kapila Vatsyayan from the Sahitya Akademi stall.

The festival was a welcome opportunity for me to peek into the society of which I had only ever heard fond stories from my family.

I commend the National Book Trust for organizing the festival, not only for making my trip far more enriching than I had imagined, but also for embodying a deeply poetic hope: that the pen is mightier than the sword, and that arts, literature, and culture can unite people while nurturing peace and growth.

With all the beauty around in a place that's known as heaven on earth, this quiet yet powerful book festival was the most beautiful part of my latest trip to Kashmir.