Five-day festival organised by NBT and Fire and Fury Corps featured literary sessions, cultural performances, youth activities and military equipment display.
LEH: The Leh Literature Festival 2026 concluded at the NDS Memorial Sports Complex on Saturday after a five-day programme featuring discussions on military history, literature, Ladakhi culture and youth engagement, bringing together authors, scholars, military veterans, students and residents.
Organised by the National Book Trust (NBT), India, under the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Fire and Fury Corps of the Indian Army, the festival was held around the theme “Indian Military History: Valour and Wisdom”.
The five-day event featured discussions on military history involving Lieutenant General Satish Dua (Retired), Lieutenant General Devendra Pratap Pandey (Retired), Colonel Ajay Raina, SM (Retired) and other defence and civil experts.
Alongside the military history sessions, the festival hosted a Book Fair and daily activities for children, including creative writing, storytelling, art, theatre and other workshops. The programme also featured performances by the Ladakh Scouts Regimental Centre Band, Dashugs Band, Stenzin Shayan Star and the Ladakh Cultural & Traditional Society.
A theatrical presentation on the life and legacy of late Tashi Rabgias by the Ladakh Theatre Organisation paid tribute to the noted figure of Ladakhi literature and culture.
The Indian Army also organised a Weapons and Equipment Display, showcasing military equipment and capabilities to students and residents. The display provided young visitors an opportunity to gain first-hand exposure to military equipment and was aimed at encouraging young men and women to consider careers in the Armed Forces.
In another initiative, the Indian Army, in collaboration with the National Book Trust, distributed books to libraries of schools in remote villages of Ladakh, with the stated aim of encouraging reading among schoolchildren.
At the conclusion of the festival, the Indian Army thanked the National Book Trust, participating speakers, artists, cultural organisations and residents of Leh for their support and participation.
The organisers said the festival reaffirmed the Army’s focus on community engagement, education and cultural preservation in Ladakh, and expressed the expectation that the event would become an annual feature of the region’s cultural calendar.
