“Harud” (autumn in Kashmiri), a literature festival which the organisers claim will be the Valley’s first-ever such event, will be held in summer capital Srinagar in September this year. The three-day event will be “a platform to celebrate books, poetry and dialogue, and also the resounding voice of the Valley,” said noted author Namita Gokhale who is the festival advisor. The main festival will be held at the lawns of Delhi Public School, Srinagar, on September 24 and 25 to be followed by a special series of symposiums and discussions at the Kashmir University campus overlooking Dal Lake on September 26. “Harud will provide a platform to celebrate the written word and create a forum for the rich literary tradition that exists in the region,” a handout issued on Wednesday said.
It added the festival will be free to the public and will emphasise on local writings from the Vale of Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh including a special focus on folk and oral traditions. The event will also host significant writers from across India. Ms. Gokhale asserted, “The festival will engage with local writing in Kashmiri, Urdu and English, to provide an open and inclusive forum for literature. It will celebrate the vibrant and layered literary tradition of the region, provoke dialogue and communication and create a platform and inspiration for a new generation of readers and writers.”
The handout quotes Sanjoy Roy, producer of the Harud Festival & MD Teamwork Productions, as saying: “The Harud festival will be a great addition to our existing literary and arts festivals in India. It is a privilege to be creating this programme with the backdrop of Kashmir and its legacy of literature, which has a history of over 2,500 years. We strongly believe that India’s multi cultural ethos needs to resonate across the world.” The sessions will include conversations on culture, travel, history, film and poetry, amongst other themes.
The Teamwork also organises the annual DSC Jaipur Literature Festival and recently launched Hay Festival in Kerala and the Bookaroo festival for Children in New Delhi.
Meanwhile, Kashmir University will host the 28th All India Library Conference on the theme “Library Vision-2020” between October 10 and 13, it was officially announced here on Wednesday.