Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir is the cultural gateway of northern India and a symbol of national integration and unity in diversity, Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Manoj Sinha said on Saturday.
Sinha was chairing a meeting of the Central Committee of Cultural Academy at the Raj Bhavan here.
“J-K is the cultural gateway of northern India. The land is blessed with rich cultural heritage, literature and wisdom of seers and sufis. It is also a symbol of national integration, unity in diversity, and its legacy of knowledge needs to be shared with the world, the L-G said.
During the meeting, Sinha laid special emphasis on encouraging the youth to be a part of the intensive campaign to promote the cultural heritage of J-K.
“Youth engagement in cultural activities would provide the much-needed platform and exposure to the young rising talent of the UT, and at the same time channelise the energy of youth towards productive and constructive activities, he said.
Teachings and writings of our sufi saints and literary legends need to be disseminated to the younger generation to revive and preserve J-K’s rich cultural heritage, Sinha added.
The L-G called for organising regular cultural programmes across the UT by actively involving schools, colleges and universities, besides promoting places of historic significance.
J-K has an abundance of cultural wealth to offer to the world and the J-K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages has to play an important role in taking the diverse culture of the UT across the globe through innovative interventions in the respective field, he said.
Sinha asked the officials to come up with a comprehensive cultural policy for propagating and promoting local languages and cultures with their ethnic relevance, besides providing sustainable livelihood opportunities to all the associated stakeholders.
The L-G directed them to submit a detailed report on the plan of action for the upcoming mega Sufi and other literary festivals in the UT.
—PTI