The Urdu edition of an acclaimed book ‘Great Minds on India’, authored by Shillong-based writer Salil Gewali, was released by Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria at Raj Bhavan on Tuesday.

The event was graced by distinguished scholars and guests from Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya, and Manipur.

During the program, author Salil Gewali was awarded “Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Rashtra Gaurav Samman 2023” by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Foundation of Howrah for his outstanding contribution to the nation through his books and collections.

Governor Kataria formally presented the memento to the author after releasing the book. He lauded Gewali for his distinctive contribution to the country through his remarkable book that highlights the profound impact of ancient Indian literature on Western luminaries.

The book “Great Minds on India” is translated into Urdu by a linguist and scholar Dr. Syed Hussain of Hyderabad and edited by Abdul Khalique of Kolkata. The book published by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Foundation, Howrah, has so far been translated into thirteen languages, including German.

The book is available in English, Hindi, Telugu, Gujarati, Tamil, Marathi, Malayalam, Manipuri, Nepali, Bengali, German, and now in Urdu.

The Assamese translation has been completed and will be released shortly while the process of translating it into Garo, Punjabi, Kannada, and Arabic has begun.

Foundation’s general secretary and editor of the book Abdul Khaleque has pledged to distribute this Urdu edition to a minimum of sixty countries worldwide, ensuring its global reach and impact.

The NGO, which engages in cultural exchanges and social welfare, through a memorandum requested Assam Governor to publish this book in foreign languages so that people can learn what great scholars had told about India.