Srinagar- The third edition of the Chinar Book Festival concluded on Sunday after a successful nine-day run at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC), attracting thousands of book lovers and further cementing Kashmir’s reputation as a growing centre for literature and learning.
Among the festival’s standout attractions were books by Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, which witnessed an overwhelming response and drew large crowds at several religious book stalls.
Organised by the National Book Trust (NBT) in collaboration with the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL) and the District Administration Srinagar, the festival was held from July 18 to July 26 along the scenic banks of Dal Lake.
The nine-day literary event brought together nearly 200 publishers and featured more than 250 book stalls offering thousands of titles across genres. Visitors also attended literary discussions, book launches, cultural programmes, children’s workshops and interactive sessions with noted personalities, including astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, filmmaker Imtiaz Ali and veteran actor Rakesh Bedi.
Even as intermittent rainfall marked the final days of the festival, the venue continued to witness a steady flow of visitors, with book stalls remaining crowded and readers of all ages exploring the wide range of titles on display.
Several exhibitors said the persistent rain had some impact on overall footfall during the concluding days. However, they described the public response as highly encouraging, adding that the turnout would likely have been even greater had the weather remained favourable.
Alongside mainstream publishers, the festival also hosted a large number of religious book stalls that attracted a steady stream of visitors interested in Islamic history, philosophy, spirituality and contemporary thought.
Among the busiest was the stall of Mutahhari Fikri & Saqafati Markaz, where books by Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei drew sustained attention throughout the nine-day festival.
According to the organisers, more than 1,000 copies of The Loving Father, a book on Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, were sold during the festival, making it one of the best-selling titles at the stall.
Amir Ali Parray, a volunteer at Mutahhari Fikri & Saqafati Markaz, said the response exceeded all expectations.
“What surprised us the most was that it was not only people from the Shia school of thought who purchased the book. The majority of buyers were from other communities and schools of thought who wanted to know more about Ayatollah Khamenei’s personality and ideas,” he said.
Parray said another title that received an overwhelming response was Cell Number 14, a diary recounting Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei’s imprisonment before the Islamic Revolution in Iran.
“We sold hundreds of copies of Cell Number 14 during the festival,” he said.
He added that Ayatollah Khamenei’s books remained a major attraction throughout the event, drawing readers from across the religious spectrum.
“Even tourists visiting Kashmir purchased these books. The interest came from people of different faiths and backgrounds, which was remarkable to witness,” Parray said.
Another religious stall that witnessed heavy footfall was the Imam Hussain Mujtaba stall, where volunteers said thousands of visitors stopped to browse and purchase books during the festival.
A volunteer at the stall said books by Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei remained among the most sought-after titles there as well, attracting readers from different religious backgrounds as well as tourists visiting the Valley.
Apart from religious literature, exhibitors across the festival reported encouraging sales of fiction, history, children’s books, academic works and regional language publications.
Several booksellers, however, observed that the continuous rainfall during the final days prevented an even larger turnout.
“Had the weather remained clear, many more people would have visited the festival,” an exhibitor said.
Despite the weather, publishers and organisers described the third edition of the Chinar Book Festival as one of the most successful literary events held in Kashmir, with schoolchildren, students, researchers, families and tourists participating in large numbers.
Over the years, the Chinar Book Festival has grown into one of the Valley’s premier literary events, providing readers access to books in English, Urdu, Hindi, Kashmiri and several other languages while creating a platform for dialogue between writers, publishers, scholars and readers. Organisers said the enthusiastic public response reflected Kashmir’s evolving reading culture and expressed hope that the festival would continue to expand in the years to come.
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