Kashmir readers turn to Iranian revolutionary memoir at Srinagar book fair
Iranian prison memoir ‘Cell No. 14,’ recounting the imprisonment of Iran's martyred Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei under the Pahlavi regime, emerged as one of the bestselling titles at the third Chinar Book Festival in Srinagar, India, held from July 18 to 26, drawing strong interest from readers seeking a deeper understanding of Iran's Islamic Revolution.
The nine-day festival, hosted at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC), brought together more than 200 publishers and booksellers from across India, IRNA reported Sunday, citing The Hindu.
The Motahari Center's pavilion attracted heavy foot traffic, with daily attendance reaching about 20,000 visitors. Local Shia clerics also shared videos of their purchases on social media, further amplifying interest in the collection.
Alongside works by Imam Ruhollah Khomeini, the architect of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, ‘Cell No. 14’ stood out as the pavilion's flagship title. "The memoir has generated tremendous interest. We sell dozens of copies every day," one bookseller said, adding that a visitor from the Chenab Valley purchased 60 copies in a single order.
Rashid Ahmad, a student at the University of Kashmir, said the memoir offers "a glimpse of what Iran's revolutionaries endured under the Shah's regime" and helps readers understand the country's political evolution and resilience.
The appeal extended beyond the region's Shia community. Sunni visitors also browsed the Iranian collection, reflecting broader curiosity about Iranian intellectual and revolutionary literature. Another bookseller said local politicians and senior bureaucrats were among those purchasing books by Iranian leaders.
The 2026 Chinar Book Festival marked the first time that several Shia publishers collectively mounted multiple pavilions at the annual event, where books in English, Urdu, Kashmiri, Hindi, and other Indian languages were showcased.