Jammu, 20 September (H.S.): The Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha addressed a gathering in Jammu today, marking the unveiling of the statue of Acharya Abhinavagupt, the launch of the new logo of the J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, the release of two books, and the inauguration of a welfare scheme for artists and writers. The Lieutenant Governor described the occasion as the beginning of a cultural renaissance reawakening the soul of the Union Territory.

The Lieutenant Governor noted that the welfare scheme for artists and writers, conceived in 2021–22 and formalised in August 2024, reflects the nation's gratitude towards those who preserve collective memory through stories, songs and our priceless traditions.

“I believe that artists and writers are not only creators but also guardians of society’s collective memory. They have given words to Jammu and Kashmir’s priceless culture, voice to the emotions of society, and have shouldered the duty of carrying this Union Territory’s heritage to future generations. Therefore, honouring them is nothing less than honouring our own civilization, our own culture, and our own identity,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

The Lieutenant Governor paid tribute to Acharya Abhinavagupt as a philosopher, spiritual practitioner, poet, and master of aesthetics whose profound contributions to Kashmir Shaivism and Pratyabhijna philosophy remained confined to limited scholarly circles for centuries. He termed this neglect not merely academic but a “damage to civilizational memory,” and called for correcting historical oversights so India's youth can access their intellectual heritage.

“The time has now come to correct these historical oversights. This task must be inspired by our commitment to truth, because our youth have the right to know how vast, how ancient, and how connected to the global community is the intellectual depth of the civilization they inherit,” he said.

Highlighting Abhinavagupt’s seminal work Tantraloka and his theory of rasa, the Lieutenant Governor said that art serves as a doorway to inner awakening, reflecting the unique Indian vision where art, life, and the pursuit of truth are inseparable.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar