Success of Kashmiri New Testament prompts Bible translation project

BANGALORE, India — In the midst of heightened political tension over the disputed territory of Kashmir, the Bible Society of India (BSI) has initiated a translation project that will make the whole Bible available in Kashmiri. The project follows the success of the Kashmiri New Testament and Psalms, published in 1999 by the Bible Society of India (BSI).

“There was very high praise for the efforts taken by the Bible Society in releasing the Kashmiri New Testament, which has been hailed [by the government and educational institutions] as a literary achievement,” said W R Paulraj, BSI Marketing Director. “The calligraphy in the Persian/ Kashmiri script was done by a team of master craftsmen and the product turned out to be of very high quality.

“Subsequent to the launch, the government advised all educational institutions in the State to procure a copy for their libraries. All 5,000 copies that we produced sold out very quickly.”