Srinagar Nalanda Dialogue: Shashi Tharoor, Shahid Chaudhary, Athar Aamir, Faiz Bakshi among key speakers on governance, tourism, literature

Ziraat Times Team Report

Srinagar, June 19: The Srinagar Nalanda Dialogue 2026, scheduled to be held at SKICC on June 20 under the Nalanda Literature Festival 2026-27, will bring together senior national and international delegates, policymakers, writers, diplomats, academics and tourism experts to deliberate on governance, tourism, literature, youth engagement and India’s civilizational knowledge traditions. The day-long event will culminate in the adoption of the proposed “Srinagar–Nalanda Declaration.”  

The dialogue is being organised by Dhanu Bihar, the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, the Department of Culture, Government of Jammu & Kashmir, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), the National Book Trust, the National School of Drama (NSD), Nava Nalanda Mahavihara University and the J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages. The theme of the event is “Governance, Tourism and Literature.”  

The inaugural session will be led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and will feature Director General Tourism, Government of India, Suman Billa; Vice Chancellor of Nava Nalanda Mahavihara University Siddharth Singh; National School of Drama Director Chittaranjan Tripathy; noted writer Shafi Shauq; Nalanda Literature Festival Chairperson D. Aaliya; and Festival Director Ganga Kumar.  

The first thematic session, titled “AI, Knowledge Systems and Future Learning in Promotion of Culture and Tourism,” will examine the role of emerging technologies in preserving and promoting cultural heritage and tourism. Speakers include Suman Billa, Vice Chancellor of the Central University of Kashmir A. Ravinder Nath, Editrix.ai founder Meru Gokhale, Asif Ali Banka and writer-civil servant Mahesh K., who will moderate the discussion.  

The second session, “Various Facets of Kashmiri Culture such as Buddhism, Shaiva and Sufism: Development, Democracy and Sustainability,” will explore Kashmir’s pluralistic cultural traditions and their contemporary relevance. Speakers include Siddharth Singh, writer Shahbaz Haqbaaree, Padma Shri awardee Mohan Singh, scholar-writer Ghulam Mustafa Khawaja and Idrisa Hassan Qadri.  

A session on “Youth Innovation: Shaping the Future through Dialogue” will focus on youth leadership, innovation and governance. The speakers include writer and civil servant Nitishwar Kumar, Chittaranjan Tripathy, J&K Youth Affairs Secretary Shahid Chaudhury and Budgam Deputy Commissioner Athar Aamir Khan. The session will be moderated by writer Aquil Ahamad.  

The fourth session, “Tourism as a Bridge: Reimagining Peace and Governance in Kashmir,” will be chaired by parliamentarian, author and former diplomat Shashi Tharoor. Other participants include D. Aaliya and Secretary General of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Faiz Ahmad Bakshi. The discussion is expected to examine tourism’s role in promoting peace, economic growth and better governance.  

The concluding Srinagar–Nalanda Declaration Session will feature Padma Vibhushan awardee Karan Singh, Shashi Tharoor and Nitishwar Kumar on the dais. Other dignitaries associated with the valedictory session include Vice Chancellor of the University of Kashmir Nilofer Khan, D. Aaliya, Secretary of Art and Culture, Government of NCT Delhi, K. Mahesh, and international adviser to the Nalanda Literature Festival, Vic Gaffney.  

According to the programme document, the expected outcomes of the dialogue include positioning Jammu & Kashmir as a global tourism leader, integrating governance and tourism discourse, promoting India’s civilizational knowledge traditions, enhancing youth engagement and academic collaboration, and strengthening heritage diplomacy and global dialogue pathways. A cultural programme will conclude the event.