Army bracing up for mega cultural festival 2022 in Kishtwar on 14-15th of July likely to be attended by senior military commanders of J&K.
A cultural exchange between the two divisions of the Union Territory is made possible by the distant, hilly district of Kishtwar, which connects the Jammu Division and the Anantnag District of the Kashmir Division. It is a place of complete tranquilly whose silence gets disturbed only by the mighty Chenab River.
In the past, some anti-national and hostile elements have taken advantage of the simplicity of the area and its inhabitants. The district endured more than 20 years of terrorism-related suffering. However, during the past few years, the District has begun to slowly return to its natural state of calm thanks to the efforts of the security forces, particularly those of the Rashtriya Rifles, and more crucially, because to the local population’s decision to fight terrorism.
The district was able to advance from a state of conflict management to one of conflict termination thanks to the battalions, although the stage of full peace building has not yet been reached. It can only be accomplished by achieving national integration and putting the district’s residents on a general path of development and sustainability.
It is crucial to resuscitate the cultural riches and local talent that were buried under the weight of terrorism so that the locals can have a platform to display their talent. As a result, a two-day Kishtwar Cultural Festival is set to take place on July 14–15, 2022, at the magnificent Chowgan Grounds of the Kishtwar District. The festival will be a collaborative event with the help of the communities, the police, other security agencies, NGOs, and civil administration.
In addition to showcasing regional talent, the Kishtwar Cultural Festival 2022 seeks to advance goodwill and national integration.
The Kishtwar Cultural Festival has been conceptualized to provide a platform to the local talent at the national level and also introduce the plethora of opportunities which the nation has to offer to the highlanders. The festival includes exhibition of performance by local troupes and artists, performance by artists from other regions of the Country and also by various Army units and establishments. On the sidelines of the event will be various promotional activities for Government schemes and Army activities that can help the locals to become self-sustainable will be organized.
Eventually, the Festival intends to project a national narrative by the presence and messages of strategic military commanders that will send a message of defeat to the adversary and that his plans have failed in this region and as the locals are marching towards peace and prosperity with army supporting them and paving the way towards path of development and self-sustainability.
The Kishtwar Cultural Festival is neither a stand-off event which is intended to be conducted for two days for this year nor is a continuous event which is intended to be conducted by the Army every year. On the contrary, it is just the first step to ensure that the district as a whole gets benefitted culturally and economically every year for a specific period of time such as the 10-day Hornbill Festival of Nagaland. This Festival will introduce the locals and the government authorities of the district to a different cultural and economic experience and should pave way for holistic betterment of the district thereby enabling the region to move and stabilize permanently in a zone of peace and prosperity.
The Kishtwar Cultural Festival 2022 will be the first major event in the district after almost three years due to the situation which prevailed after the Abrogation of Article 370 and the COVID-19 scenario. It will pave way for giving a shakeup to the local talent and will formalize cultural exchange between this remote district and the rest of the nation.
The event had been scheduled for the 15th and 16th of June, however due to the law and order crisis caused by a Bhaderwah communal events between two communities, a curfew was imposed in the twin districts of Doda and Kishtwar. The programme resumed after there was complete peace.
Asif Iqbal Naik is a senior journalist and Senior Advisor at The Chenab Times