Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday inaugurated the Doon Book Festival 2026 in Dehradun, opening a nine-day literary event being held with the support of the Union education ministry and the Uttarakhand government. During the inaugural programme, the chief minister visited stalls set up by publishers and also released books in Garhwali and Kumaoni.
According to the state government, the festival has brought together writers, artists, publishers and readers from across the country. The programme is scheduled to host multiple sessions over nine days, including literary discussions, book talks, dialogue-based events and “Meet the Author” interactions. A separate children’s pavilion has also been set up, with the government projecting it as an effort to encourage reading habits among younger audiences.
In his address, Dhami said the festival was intended as a platform for literature, culture and the arts, and could help widen the exchange of ideas. He said such events could contribute to the reading culture while also creating greater visibility for regional writing and publishing traditions.
The chief minister also referred to Uttarakhand’s literary legacy and said the state had produced several noted writers over the years. He said the government was continuing efforts to support literary and cultural activity through awards and publication assistance. Among the initiatives cited were the Uttarakhand Sahitya Gaurav Samman, Sahitya Bhushan and grants for the publication of books in different languages.
Dhami said the state was also working on the development of “literature villages”, an initiative aimed at creating spaces that support writing and related cultural activity. He said such efforts could also contribute to the promotion of literary tourism in Uttarakhand. The idea of linking literature with tourism has featured in earlier state-level cultural outreach efforts as well, particularly in relation to preserving regional language and heritage-based traditions.
{{/usCountry}}Dhami said the state was also working on the development of “literature villages”, an initiative aimed at creating spaces that support writing and related cultural activity. He said such efforts could also contribute to the promotion of literary tourism in Uttarakhand. The idea of linking literature with tourism has featured in earlier state-level cultural outreach efforts as well, particularly in relation to preserving regional language and heritage-based traditions.
{{/usCountry}}The release of Garhwali and Kumaoni books during the event underscored the focus on local languages at the festival. Regional language publishing has remained an important concern in Uttarakhand, where literary and cultural bodies have periodically called for greater institutional support for writing, archiving and dissemination in indigenous languages.
Speaking on the role of books, the chief minister said books remain a lasting source of knowledge and continue to shape public understanding across generations. He also appealed to people to encourage the gifting of books and plants on different occasions, linking reading culture with broader social awareness.
The state government framed the event within a larger cultural policy emphasis on the preservation and promotion of literary heritage. Dhami said the country was moving towards renewed recognition of its cultural and literary traditions and that Uttarakhand was committed to strengthening its own literary institutions and practices.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Cabinet minister Khajan Das, Dehradun mayor Saurabh Thapliyal, Acharya Balkrishna, National Book Trust chairman Prof Milind Marathi, National Book Trust director Yuvraj Malik and Dev Bhoomi Uttarakhand University vice-chairman Aman Bansal, among others.
The festival is expected to continue over the next several days with publisher showcases, public discussions and reader engagement activities, positioning itself as one of the prominent literary events in the state’s cultural calendar this year.