Veshaw literary festival revives Kashmir’s cultural spirit, promotes syncretic harmony

Kulgam, Oct 16: The Veshaw Literary Festival in south Kashmir’s Kulgam is fast emerging as one of the Valley’s most vibrant cultural platforms, reviving its literary, spiritual, and artistic traditions while promoting Kashmir’s age-old ethos of syncretism and communal harmony.

The third edition of the two-day festival, organised by Kulgam district administration at Government Degree College Kulgam, was inaugurated by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Anshul Garg, with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha joining the ceremony virtually.

In his address, LG Sinha praised the J&K youth for embracing diversity and heritage, calling them “the torchbearers of a shared cultural identity vital for nation-building.”

“The youth of J&K are forging a strong bond with diversity and heritage,” he said. “They are engaging deeply with the country’s history, values, and aspirations. The festival celebrates not just literature but our collective spirit of unity and cultural pride.”

The LG said that the event reflects Kashmir’s pluralistic soul.

“Science, spirituality, and literature are three powerful forces that shape a progressive and vibrant society. Writers, thinkers, and poets must promote literary, scientific, and spiritual heritage, enrich folk traditions, and strengthen social harmony,” he said.

Calling Kulgam “a confluence of nature, spirituality, culture, and literature,” LG Sinha said that the district stands as a “living example of Kashmir’s syncretic and intellectual tradition.”

Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Anshul Garg, lauded the efforts of the Kulgam administration in scaling up the event each year.

“The Veshaw Literary Festival has grown in scale and participation. Each edition draws more students, writers, and visitors,” Garg said. “It beautifully blends modern creative thought with Kashmir’s deep-rooted cultural and spiritual heritage.”

He said such initiatives play a vital role in “reviving Kashmir’s art, literature, and collective consciousness.”

“Through platforms like this, we are not just celebrating creativity but also reinforcing Kashmir’s message of peace, tolerance, and coexistence,” Garg said.

Festival organiser and Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kulgam, Athar Aamir-uI-Shafi Khan, said the growing popularity of the event shows that people, especially youth, were reconnecting with their cultural identity.

“This festival is reviving Kashmir’s cultural roots, literature, and art, while also promoting communal harmony,” he said. “The overwhelming participation of students and artists shows how culture can unite and inspire.”

Khan said the festival featured mushairas, panel discussions, book releases, and exhibitions that celebrate Kashmir’s syncretic spirit.

“We have displayed heritage models, rural life exhibits, and works of local authors. It’s a complete cultural revival,” he said.

Khan said that a special gallery for south Kashmir’s writers and an exhibition of engineering students’ models reflecting heritage themes were part of the attractions.

Named after the Veshaw stream, a lifeline of Kulgam, originating from Kausar Nag-Aharbal and a tributary of the Jhelum, the festival symbolises the “flow of creativity and coexistence.”

The river’s serene banks, long considered a cradle of Kashmir’s Sufi and folk traditions, provide the festival with both its name and inspiration.

The event featured the release of five books by prominent Kashmiri poets and writers, while the works of Lal Ded and Nund Rishi – symbols of Kashmir’s spiritual unity - were also celebrated.

“The Veshaw Literary Festival has become a living movement – reviving our shared culture, literature, and harmony,” Khan said. “It is the river of creativity flowing again through the heart of Kashmir.”

“The event is drawing enthusiastic participation from students, writers, poets, and visitors, making the Veshaw Literary Festival a true celebration of Kashmir’s plural identity and cultural resilience,” Khan said

Chairman District Development Council, Kulgam, Muhammad Afzal Parray; DIG SKR Anantnag, Javid Iqbal Matoo;  SSP Kulgam, Anayat Ali Choudhary and Principal, GDC Kulgam, Prof Muhammad Abass Shah also attended the inaugural ceremony.