Srinagar, 09-05-2026: The three-day annual literary cum cultural festival ‘Saman Bal’ organized by Gulshan Cultural Forum in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Govt of India was inaugurated by the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board Chairperson, Dr Syed Darakhshan Andrabi, today.
The festival was thrown open by Dr. Andrabi by the traditional way of adding the fragrant rue (isband) to the traditional Kangri. The inaugural event was attended by the president of the session Prof Gulshan Majeed, President GCF Syed Bashir Kousar, Former Secretary of J&K Cultural Academy Dr Rafeeq Massodi & eminent author, poet and thinker Dr Satish Vimal. The proceedings were moderated by Gulshan Badrani. The keynote for the three-day festival was presented by Dr Satish Vimal. Dr Darakhshan presented the Andrabi Annual Awards of GCF for 2023 & 2024 to famed cultural activist G R Hasrat Gadha & former Head of Haqqani Memorial Trust Master Ghulaam Mohammad Dar. In her address, Dr. Andrabi said that such grand events by the organization in a far-flung area acquire more significance as they inspires people from rural backgrounds to the fields of expression through arts and literature. Congratulating GFC for such a meaningful and mega event, Andrabi said that ‘Samanbal’ has become a cultural movement in Kashmir. She announced the sponsorship for a mega event by the organization at Srinagar this summer. “When people built walls around their courtyards, Samanbal opened the space for the creators beyond borders. This cultural organization has been consistently promoting literature, performing arts and theatre since the past three decades”, said Waqf Board chairperson.
She also released the annual magazine of GCF titled “Faryad,” published continuously in the Kashmiri language. She hailed the efforts of the editorial team and the management of the organization for this standard publication.