SRINAGAR: On the banks of Dal Lake, the Chinar Book Fair will return in all its glory between Aug 2 and 10, bringing hundreds of books of Urdu, Persian, Hindi, and English fiction, AI, science, and technology.There will also be sessions on drone technology, cybercrime, and Kashmiri ancient text Rajtarangini. Last year, a poetry session and song performance by Vishal Bhardwaj and Rekha Bhardwaj was a high point. This year, organisers say the fair is dedicated to local singers, artistes, and writers. Hindi film director Imtiaz Ali will also give a talk in one of the sessions.There will be a special session on “religion, culture and modernity” with Prof Mazhar Asif, vice-chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia as chief guest. There is a programme on “gender advocacy in Urdu and Persian”, with Delhi University professor Syed Mubin Zehra and poet and author Nasreen Hamza Ali among the panelists.The invitation says entry is free, with discounts on books, and promises ‘mushairas’, ‘sham-e-ghazals’, sufiyana performances, literary activities, children’s programmes, and meet-the-author presentations to engage a wide audience.The festival will have a national exhibition on the ancient Sharda script and a first-ever Gojri translation workshop. There will be Tamil-Kashmiri Samvad (discussion), focusing on shared cultural and spiritual traditions.Organised by the National Book Trust (under the Union education ministry), in collaboration with the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL), the nine-day festival will see the participation of more than 200 publishers and booksellers from across India.Dr Amit Wanchoo, chief convener of the book fair, told TOI they had kept a session on drone technology where leading experts would discuss the subject. He said there would be separate sessions on cyber technology. “Last year, we saw a good number of people asking for discussions on modern technology. So why not drone technology and cybercrime? Young people relate to it, and it draws them towards the festival and books.“He said for literature lovers, “there will be creative writing and illustration workshops, calligraphy roundtable, storytelling programmes, and theatre performances. We expect a huge rush this year, particularly from different universities of Jammu & Kashmir and even from the University of Ladakh.” The visitors will also be able to explore the Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya, a digital platform providing free access to thousands of e-books.