A 3-day ‘District Level Multilingual Literary Meet’ commenced today at Academy Hall in Baroo. It was organized by the J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Language, Kargil. The Chief Executive Councilor, LAHDC Kargil, Kacho Ahmad Ali Khan was the Chief Guest and the State Minister for Science & Technology, IT, Education, Health and Youth Service and Sports, Feroz Ahmad Khan was the Guest of Honour on the opening day.

 

The main objective of the event was to create a platform for writers and scholars in Kargil to express and exchange their literary works and to encourage literary writing in local and regional languages. During these three days, 70 scholars will present their papers, poems and short stories in Purgi, Sheena, Balti, Urdu and Kashmiri languages. Today two papers by Ajaz Hussain Munshi and Jawed Jalib were presented and four short stories by Mohammad Sadiq Hardassi, Tsewang Namgyal Yakum, Mohammad Hussain Rehnuma and Mohammad Ali Khan Sabeel and seven poems were narrated by poets like Mohammad Hussain Fayaz, Ahmad Jawan Drassi and Haji Mohammad Baqir Baqir. A tribute was presented by Ahmad Jawan Drassi to last year’s Delhi gang rape victim for showing heroism and courage. 

Interacting with the audiences Feroz Ahmed Khan told that any society without tradition, culture and language is just like a dead valley which has no identity. He had appreciated the role of Cultural Academy for organizing such events to uplift and preserve the tradition, language, culture identity of Kargil. CEC also appreciated the Academy for organizing the events on regular intervals. He told that scholars and writers to do more research and work on Purig language in order to preserve it for our future generations. Kacho has remarked that Hill Council has always been serious and committed towards the cultural preservation in Kargil.

Cultural Officer, Muhammad Ali Tak told the gathering that it is the intention of Academy to work towards preservation and promotion of the multiethnic culture and tradition of Kargil district. It has great potential to attract more scholars, tourists and researchers. The Academy has been conducting a series of cultural, literary, children’s programmes over the years and will do so in future as well. Later a proposal was submitted by the Cultural Officer, detailing the problems of manpower and other limitations and further plans to improvise the Academy’s sub-office in Kargil. Feroz Ahmed Khan has given assurance that he would take up the matter with the Chief Minister of J&K State who is also the President of the Academy and other concerned ministers and bureaucrats so as to solicit solutions.