Bible in Kashmiri released by Apostolic Nuncio

(October 06, 2011) Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio released the Bible in Kashmiri language on Sunday at St. Peter’s Higher Secondary School, Jammu. The release coincided with the concluding ceremony of the silver jubilee of the Jammu and Kashmir diocese. Predhuman K. Joseph Dhar, an educationist, journalist and writer, translated the Holy book. The translation work took 16 years to complete. He is a convert to Catholicism from the Kashmiri Pandit community. The work has been published by the Bible Society of India in Bangalore. It is for the first time that the Books of the Apocrypha have also been translated into Kashmiri. Archbishop Pennacchio presented Dhar a gold medal and a trophy and called his work a great achievement that demonstrated commitment and dedication. Dhar was also felicitated by Mill Hill Father Jim Borst, who coordinated the Bible translation, and Bishop Peter Celestine from Seriampur. Seriampur missionaries had translated the Holy Bible into Kashmiri in the Sharda Script in 1821. The present translation is in the Nastaliq script in the modern Kashmiri. Minister of Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Raman Bhalla and top civil and Army officials attended the event.