By: Tariq Hussain Abrar
Contact No: 8492825225
Under the auspices of the National Book Trust, India, Ministry of Education, Government of India, the Chinar Book Festival was organized from 2nd to 10th August 2025 at SKICC, Srinagar.
The purpose of this festival was to reduce the growing distance of readers from books in the present era of digital gadgets and to encourage them once again towards the reading of actual books. This was the second edition of the Chinar Book Festival, in which the National Book Trust, India, this time, while promoting Kashmiri and Dogri regional languages, also gave special importance to the Gojri language, thereby winning the hearts of lakhs of Gujjar-Bakarwal tribes living in Jammu & Kashmir.
From 4th to 6th August 2025, the National Book Trust organized the First-Ever Gojri Translation Workshop at SKICC, Srinagar, in which experts and translators of Gojri language were invited. During the workshop, about two dozen children’s books written by eminent writers in different languages were translated into Gojri – a remarkable addition to Gojri literature.
In this workshop, Chaudhary Hassan Parvez and Prof. M. K. Waqaar participated as experts, while translations were carried out by Prof. Rafiq Anjum, Dr. Jaleel Iqbal Khaki, Tariq Hussain Abrar, Naseem Akhtar, Varun Kumar Singh, Mukhtiyar Ahmad, Abdul Majeed, Halima Noor, Junaid Hussain, Mohammad Amin Anjum, Dr. Altaf Ahmad Nizami, Tabeer Hussain, Maryam Bano. Abdul Manan Gorsi participated as a composer, and Dr. Ishtiyaq Ahmad Misbah as proofreader.
The workshop was inaugurated on 4th August 2025 by Prof. Milind Sudhakar Marathe, Chairman, National Book Trust, in a highly pleasant environment. On behalf of the organizers, all delegates were warmly welcomed with great enthusiasm, and gifts of books and shawls were presented through the hands of the chief guest. On this occasion, NBT’s Chief Editor Kumar Vikram and other officials were also present.
In his address, Prof. Marathe said that all languages of India are national languages, and no language is big or small. All languages are equal. Having deep affection for one’s mother tongue is natural, but it is our duty to respect all languages alike. He urged the Gojri experts and translators to extend their cooperation and suggestions to the National Book Trust for the promotion and development of languages, especially Gojri.
On this occasion, Kumar Vikram, Chief Editor and Joint Director, NBT-India, said that bilingual editions of books will be prepared during this three-day Gojri workshop. Accordingly, Varun Kumar Singh and Tariq Abrar translated from Dogri to Gojri; Prof. Rafiq Anjum, Mukhtiyar Ahmad, and Dr. Jaleel Iqbal Khaki translated from Urdu to Gojri; Naseem Akhtar, Abdul Majeed, and Mohammad Amin Anjum translated from English to Gojri; Tabeer Hussain, Maryam Bano, and Junaid Hussain translated from Hindi to Gojri; while Dr. Altaf Ahmad Nizami and Halima Noor translated from Kashmiri to Gojri under the Rashtriya Bal Pustakalaya Series. All these bilingual translations were reviewed by Gojri experts Hassan Parvez and Prof. M. K. Waqaar, with special attention paid to accurate spelling and appropriate vocabulary selection.
On 5th August 2025, Member of Parliament from Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha Constituency and Sajjada Nashin of Lar Darbar, Hazrat Mian Altaf Ahmad Larvi, visited the workshop. His arrival turned the event into a historic milestone and added glory to the occasion. Dr. Liaqat Ali, an active member of the National Book Trust, warmly welcomed Mian Altaf Ahmad Larvi and described his presence as a blessing. He further said that by organizing the Gojri translation workshop at the Chinar Book Festival, NBT has paved the way for the development of this language and expressed hope that Gojri-loving people, especially writers and poets, will extend full cooperation.
Mian Altaf Ahmad Larvi congratulated and thanked the Chairman, Chief Editor, and other organizers of NBT for organizing the first-ever Gojri translation workshop. He appreciated the efforts of producing quality literature in Gojri and especially children’s literature, expressing hope that NBT will continue such initiatives in the future. He also visited the book stalls set up at the Chinar Book Festival. On the sidelines of the workshop, Gojri writer, journalist, and translator Tariq Hussain Abrar presented his book “Nigaarishaat-e-Abrar” as a gift to Mian Altaf Ahmad Larvi. On this occasion, Mian Larvi congratulated Tariq Abrar for his services towards the development of Gojri and appreciated his abilities.
After the conclusion of the second day’s proceedings, an inter-linguistic Panel discussion was organized from 5 to 6 pm, in which experts including Prof. Mohammad Ejaz Sheikh, Hassan Parvez, Prof. M. K. Waqaar, and Arun Kumar Singh expressed their views on interconnections between Gojri, Dogri, and Urdu languages. The session was jointly moderated by Dr. Liaqat Ali and Naseem Akhtar.
On the final day of the three-day workshop, all the translated books were reviewed, followed by a dignified valedictory function. Experts and translators shared their views and presented important suggestions before the NBT officials. Hassan Parvez, Prof. M. K. Waqaar, Prof. Rafiq Anjum, and all delegates appreciated the efforts of NBT and assured continued cooperation for the development of Gojri.
Speakers emphasized the need for uniformity in Gojri orthography and inclusion of Gojri vocabulary from all regions of Jammu & Kashmir, stressing that whenever an institution organizes such a workshop, writers from all areas should be equally involved, so that Gojri is expanded rather than confined. On this occasion, Dr. Jaleel Iqbal Khaki also thanked Dr. Naseeb Ali, Assistant Professor at JNU, for his efforts in making this workshop possible.
Hassan Parvez termed this first Gojri Translation Workshop a great success and appreciated the efforts of the National Book Trust. He expressed hope that NBT would also publish books related to Gojri folklore, further enriching the treasure of Gojri literature.
In his address, Tariq Hussain Abrar said that the struggle to include Gojri in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution had somewhat gone cold for some time, but this workshop has rekindled hope, and for us, it feels like a cool breeze from Delhi.
At the conclusion, Narendra Sahib, a senior NBT official, announced that within a few months, 24 children’s books prepared during this workshop will be available in the market. After that, it will be the responsibility of Gojri readers and speakers to ensure these books reach every household so that the aim of NBT can be fulfilled.
On this occasion, Gojri poets and writers, especially Prof. Rafiq Anjum, Naseem Akhtar, Altaf Nizami, and others, recited their literary works, which were warmly appreciated. Naseem Akhtar presented a beautiful Gojri song, while Altaf Nizami recited ghazals by Dr. Rafiq Anjum, delighting the audience.
It is worth mentioning that NBT had arranged the boarding and lodging of delegates in excellent hotels.
Overall, it can be said that this first-ever national-level Gojri Translation Workshop organized by the National Book Trust, India, proved to be a tremendous success. The credit goes especially to Dr. Liaqat Ali, Narendra Sahib, and other organizers. On behalf of the entire Gujjar-Bakarwal community and Gojri writers and poets, I congratulate the NBT officials on this success and hope that they will continue such initiatives in the future. Moreover, we also hope that this workshop will prove to be an important milestone in the direction of including Gojri in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.DD
