E-Paper
After Galwan Valley makes news, explorer’s biography to be translated into English
Historical articles on Ladakh and J&K, published in monthly magazine Sheeraza, to be translated and promoted on social media to reach wider audience.
With the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) becoming a bone of contention between India and China , officials of Jammu and Kashmir are planning to digitise historical articles on Ladakh and J&K that are published in Sheeraza, a monthly magazine issued by Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture, and Languages (JKAACL).
Ghulam Rasool Galwan had discovered the valley in the 19th century and his biography has been published in one of the special editions of Sheeraza.
For years, the academy has published in-depth articles on J&K and Ladakh, its history, culture and heritage. The officials say that the academy is now planning to translate those articles from Urdu, Kashmiri, Gojri, Punjabi, and Hindi to English for the younger generation. It will also be using social media to promote the rich content with it for decades.
Academy secretary Muneer A Raqeeb said the digital platforms and social media sites like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, web sites, and web pages are now the future. “We are starting the process to use these platforms to connect with the younger generation and connoisseurs of good literature living in various parts of the country. We will be digitising Sheeraza and Hamara Adab.”
He said that the academy had published articles on Ghulam Rasool Galwan and now everybody wants to know about him and his family and their links with the Galwan Valley.
A former secretary of the academy, Rafeeq Masoodi, said: “It’s going to be of great help to our younger generation to access it once shared on social media.’’
He added that Ghulam Rasool Galwan was born in Leh in 1878 and worked as a guide for European explorers and went on several expeditions around Tibet, Central Asia and Ladakh. It was then that he discovered the valley.
Former associate professor of Kashmir University Rafi Ahmad Makhdoomi said only those people knew about the Galwan Valley and its history who have been reading or doing research on the Silk Route. “The younger generation came to know about the valley only after the Indian and Chinese troops clashed there,’’ he added.
