Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday inaugurated a regional literary festival at Patnitop as part of the ongoing Iconic Week celebrations and said the Union Territory has always been a prominent seat of art and culture. He said the regional literary festival aims at promoting Dogri, Pahari, Gojri and Punjabi languages, strengthening the spirit of shared rich culture and traditions. On the occasion, the Lt Governor remembered Dogri and Hindi poetess Padma Sachdev and paid tributes to her. The Lt Governor also felicitated Padma Shri recipients Narsingh Dev Jamwal, Dr Jitendra Udhampuri and Prof Shiv Nirmohi for their invaluable contribution to the literary field. Addressing the gathering, Sinha said, ”J-K, which has always been a prominent seat and a beacon of art and culture, is showing the way through its age-old traditions. The literary festivals will serve as a platform for budding poets, writers and creative thinkers to carry forward the literary legacy of Jammu and Kashmir.” The Lt Governor said the UT government has taken full responsibility for the promotion of regional languages and it is their aim to bring their unique features to the fore. The second objective is to provide a platform to budding poets and writers to carry forward the great tradition of Jammu and Kashmir, he added. Mentioning about the lit-fest inaugurated in Gulmarg on Wednesday, he said a big message is reaching across the country that J-K has again started showing the way through its old traditions. The Lt Governor said it is their endeavour that young writers and poets are provided the right platforms and ample opportunities. Speaking on linguistic harmony, the Lt Governor said in the country, regional languages have always been the medium of exchange of feelings. I firmly believe that linguistic harmony can strengthen unity, the Lt Governor added. Sinha also mentioned about the works of poetess Amrita Pritam, American writer Walt Whitman and Dr Sampurnanand. Literary works are best enjoyed in their original script, translation is necessary but only for understanding the original text, he remarked.

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