Enthusiasts belonging to varied age groups considered the unique book exhibition depicting the rich history of the Kashmir valley as a welcome step towards inculcating the passion of reading classics, especially among youth of Jammu and Kashmir.
The exhibition showcased a blend of the modern with the ancient and included a wide range of books on history, geography, culture, tradition, ancient and contemporary literature, science and technology, Islam, Sufism and the heritage of the state.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, a student, Manzoor Ahmad voiced the thoughts of other vistors as he gushed about the relevance of the exhibition.
"This exhibition is very good as the new generation should become familiar with age-old classics of our valley and also with renowned writers which would help them connect to the valley more," said Ahmad.
The exhibition was organised by Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages in collaboration with the department of Archives and Archeology and aimed to spread awareness among the youth of the valley regarding the value of the rare books in the collection.
"This exhibition aims at generating interest as well as stimulating a dialogue among the youth and the writers of such books. Children interacted face to face with several of these renowned writers. This offered them a very informative environment and they were inspired regarding the importance of books in our life," said Additional Secretary Culture Academy, Arvinder Singh.
Rare books including a hundred- year- old copy of the Holy Quran and several centuries old Persian manuscripts and books were also on display.
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A school student, Ritika Singh, said that such exhibitions will inculcate the habit of reading among the youngsters of the valley.
"This is a collection of old books and the exhibition aims to inculcate the habit of reading and also provides us with information regarding the books and the authors. We saw a lot of books and it was a very good experience," Ritika said.