SRINAGAR, JUNE 20 : Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday underscored the need to revive India’s civilisational heritage and strengthen cultural diplomacy while addressing the Srinagar-Nalanda Dialogue, organised by the Ministry of Tourism, J&K Department of Culture, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), National School of Drama and Nava Nalanda Mahavihara University.
Delivering the keynote address, Sinha said India must reconnect its youth with the country’s rich traditions of knowledge and spirituality while shaping a future-oriented education system that embraces modern technology.
He said good governance and cultural dialogue together help shape the moral and cultural character of society and contribute to inclusive policymaking.
“Scholars from Jammu and Kashmir and Nalanda together helped shape one of the world’s oldest living civilisations. The Srinagar-Nalanda Dialogue offers an opportunity to carry that legacy forward with wisdom, courage and a renewed vision for Viksit Bharat,” he said.
Calling for the strengthening of India’s soft power, the Lieutenant Governor said the country’s ancient knowledge systems once connected the world and could again serve as a bridge through cultural diplomacy.
Highlighting India’s diversity as a source of strength, Sinha said every region—from Kashmir and Ladakh to Tamil Nadu and Bihar—preserves distinct traditions that collectively enrich the nation’s consciousness.
He described Nalanda, Takshashila and Jammu and Kashmir’s historic Sharda Peeth as major centres of learning that attracted scholars from across Asia, and stressed the need to revive the tradition of intellectual exchange.
Sinha also called for greater infrastructure development, heritage conservation and sustained cultural engagement through platforms such as the Srinagar-Nalanda Dialogue, saying India’s ancient towns should be promoted as living centres of knowledge and learning.
Several academicians, literary figures, senior officials and students attended the event.
