Rewrite history to correct facts distorted in past: L-G to writers

J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday called upon writers to “think about rewriting history to correct the facts which were distorted in the past”.

Sinha today attended the ‘Chinar Book Festival’ organised by National Book Trust of India at Srinagar. The inaugural event was also attended by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

In his address, the Lieutenant Governor said, “The new generation must be made aware that our civilisation was economically prosperous and it was also the global centre of literature, science and spirituality. Ancient India was the engine of the world civilisation and culture. We gave the gift of science, mathematics, medicine to the world and we should be proud of our cultural, literary, scientific and spiritual heritage,” he said.

Sinha said the roots of our knowledge and science have always been immense. “We need to liberate ourselves from the colonial mindset and the new generation must be told that our heritage has been leading the world. The gift of science that we have given to humanity is incomparable,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

He congratulated the Union Ministry of Education and the National Book Trust for providing an opportunity to readers to keep track of new ideas and perspectives and interact with eminent writers and scholars from across the country.

“Books open the window to the world. Books offer new ideas and fresh perspectives that change the way we perceive things and promote critical thinking. Chinar Book Festival will connect the new generation to our precious literary heritage and inspire them to preserve and promote our traditional wisdom left behind by our ancestors,” he said.

The Lieutenant Governor emphasised reviving India’s ancient knowledge system and make it a part of mainstream education.

He asked the National Book Trust to actively promote famous literature from Kashmiri, Pahari, Gojri, Dogri, Urdu and Punjabi at book festivals and ensure their translation into various languages so that they reach a wider audience.

The event also witnessed the inauguration of ‘Saradaksarani’- the first national exhibition of Sharada alphabets, and Kashmiri translation of a book titled “Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh-through the ages”. The winners of Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya Amrit Kaal Story Writing Competition were also announced.