The third edition of the Chinar Book Festival concluded on a high note, drawing lakhs of visitors over nine days and reaffirming Kashmir’s emergence as a vibrant centre for literature, learning and cultural exchange.
Organised by the National Book Trust (NBT), the grand festival was set up against the backdrop of picturesque Dal Lake, at the Sher-i-Kashmir Convention Centre (SKICC), and witnessed packed, overflowing book stalls and enthusiastic participation from readers across age groups.
The festival was also graced by prominent authors, thinkers as well as prominent names like astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, actor Rakesh Bedi and filmmaker Imtiaz Ali.
For NBT director Yuvraj Malik, who spoke to hindustantimes.com, the scale of public engagement reflected a side of Kashmir that often goes unnoticed.
“There is a perception of Kashmir as war-torn, terrorism-affected and full of disgruntled youth. But when you come here, you won’t find that image reflected on the ground,” Malik said, adding that the festival’s expected success demonstrated the Valley’s strong appetite for books and ideas.
Unlike most public events in Kashmir, which he said “begin in the morning and are over by lunch”, the Chinar Book Festival sustained momentum for all nine days. “Sustaining an event for nine days is unique for Kashmir,” Malik said, calling it one of the defining achievements of the festival.
According to him, attracting audiences was never the biggest challenge. “Here, we hardly have to make an effort to bring people in. There is a naturally organic audience base and a strong reading habit, especially among the younger generation,” he said.
One of the most striking trends this year was the participation of young women. “Around 70 per cent of the visitors are girls and 30 per cent are boys,” Malik noted, describing it as a reflection of the Valley’s evolving reading culture.
The festival also highlighted Kashmir’s deep cultural roots. “Across India we organise events in almost every state. If I compare it nationally, Pune comes somewhat close. But what you see here is on an entirely different scale,” he said.
Malik said convincing stakeholders that such a large literary event could be organised in Kashmir was initially an uphill task. “It took me two years to get the necessary clearances because the mindset had to change. People had to believe that an event attracting lakhs of visitors was possible here,” he recalled.
‘Security largely a myth’
He also dismissed concerns around security, saying the reality on the ground differed sharply from popular perception. “Security was largely a myth. Apart from the Lieutenant Governor’s official protocol, the festival functioned normally. We have completed three editions without any major incident,” he said.
The NBT director also took aim at what he described as perception-driven coverage of Kashmir.
“There are two kinds of media. One is journalism where you come to the ground, observe and report what you actually see. The other is digital feed-based journalism, where people sit in offices, compile reports from Google and build perceptions from a distance,” Malik said.
Malik said the festival also offered a glimpse into the Valley’s changing social landscape. He described three distinct generations in Kashmir: those who experienced militancy in their youth, those who witnessed it during childhood, and a younger generation that has grown up without directly experiencing curfews, stone-pelting or violence.
“These three generations have different perceptions and different reading habits. The children and young people you see today will become decision-makers in the years ahead. Understanding what they are reading today is important,” he said.
Language and translation emerged as another major focus of the festival. An entire hall dedicated to Urdu remained packed throughout the event, underscoring the language’s enduring popularity.
“You’ll find the Urdu hall completely packed. Tomorrow you’ll also see the power of translation. A book written well in one language, once translated into Urdu, reaches an entirely new section of society,” Malik said.
Malik described reading as an essential part of leadership and decision-making, saying his own reading spans multiple disciplines.
“If I don’t read, how will I work?” he said. “My first choice is always biographies. Then I read geopolitics, contemporary politics and, these days, corporate management. Recently, I’ve also been reading sports psychology. It’s a fascinating field because it explains how a sporting mindset works.”
Drawing on football to explain leadership, Malik said the 2022 FIFA World Cup final offered valuable lessons beyond the game itself.
“If you show the entire World Cup final to a child-from start to finish-it becomes a complete life story of how a person navigates highs and lows. It’s a remarkable case study in leadership. I’ve developed a case study on how Lionel Messi led his team in that final, and it is now being taught at several IIMs,” he said.
‘Read Mahabharata’
Asked which books every Indian-and particularly every young Kashmiri-should read, Malik turned to India’s epics, arguing that they remain relevant far beyond their religious significance.
“Read the Ramayana. Read the Mahabharata. Read the Bhagavad Gita. Don’t approach them only with a religious mindset,” he said.
Calling the Mahabharata “an everyday dilemma,” Malik said the epic mirrors the moral and personal conflicts people face throughout their lives.
“It is a leadership book. It teaches you how to sustain yourself when conflict comes into your life. Those dilemmas are not ancient-they are with us every day,” he said.
The third edition of the Chinar Book Festival saw a daily footfall ranging between approximately 57,000 and 73,000 on weekdays and touching 1,00,000 on weekends.
With record footfall, enthusiastic participation and a visible appetite for books among young readers, the third Chinar Book Festival sought to present a different narrative of Kashmir-one centred not on conflict, but on curiosity, culture and conversation.
