London: A Symposium on March 24 and 25, 2001 titled International Seminar on KASHMIRI LANGUAGE AND CULTURE AND FIFTH MUSICAL FESTIVAL was held at Kashmir Bhawan, Luton, U.K.

The symposium highlighted the culture and heritage of Kashmiris and ways and means of preserving it. The symposium was the brain child of Dr. S.N.Ganju, a veteran Kashmiri leader based in U.K. ‘We have to make all the efforts to preserve our language, music and cultural heritage and to achieve that, we must have a Kashmiri center in every city in the world,’ Said Dr. Ganju to a very large gathering of attendees. ‘We are spread out in all parts of the world and considering our small numbers, we have to make an extra effort to maintain a link and that purpose can best be served through these cultural centers.’ Dr.Roop Krishen Bhat of Northern Regional Language Center, India and prominent U.S based community leader Jeevan Zutshi were in attendance besides the delegates from U.K, Mrs. Krishna Bhan, Dr. Vijay Dhar, Dr.Jeevan Raval, Mr. Bansilal Kaul, Rattan Kotwal and Dr.Shiban Durani. Also in attendance was Nirja Pandit, an eminent Kashmiri singer from India who mesmerized a large audience with old and new kashmiri songs. The two days event was very successful and the musical extravaganza in the night of 24th provided lots of memories to the Kashmiris in Diaspora.