World book fair to begin on Feb 10 in Delhi

The 51st edition of the New Delhi World Book Fair will begin on February 10, featuring over 2,000 stalls with books in multiple languages. The fair will also mark the inauguration of a National e-library, where books can be accessed and downloaded for free. The guest country for the book fair this year is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The 51st edition of the New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF), organised by the National Book Trust (NBT) of India, is all set to commence on February 10 at Pragati Maidan, Delhi. The fair will continue till February 18 and will host over 2,000 stalls with books in multiple languages, NBT officials said on Thursday.

New Delhi, India - Aug. 28, 2015: People visit the Delhi Book Fair 2015 at Pragati Maidan on Saturday 29, 2015 in New Delhi, India. Book Fair also gives teachers, librarians and children an opportunity for interaction with authors, publishers and book-sellers, (Photo by Arun Sharma/ Hindustan Times)

The officials added that besides books covering a wide variety of genres, braille books will also be available free of cost for visually impaired children. Union minister for education Dharmendra Pradhan will inaugurate the event.

The book fair, organised under the ministry of education and the ministry of industry and commerce, will also mark the inauguration of a National e-library, where books can be accessed and downloaded for free. The guest country for the book fair this year is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and authorities said that a delegation of 25 people will arrive from the country.

“We are committed to the objective of developing a reading culture in the country and we believe that the easier it is to access books, the faster we will achieve that goal. The e-library will be available to everyone, in every corner of the country,” said Yuvraj Malik, director of NBT, at a press conference. The theme of the NDWBF 2024 is “Multi-lingual India, a living tradition”.

Malik added: “India has a diverse spectrum of languages and dialects. We want to achieve a sense of national integration through this festival of literature, art and knowledge.”

Milind Sudhakar Marathe, chairman of NBT, said that this year exhibitors and publishers will also participate in discussions on how to contribute to the rising literary and publishing industries.

The book fair will house other events as well like a children’s pavilion hosting interactive activities, an author’s corner, an international events corner, a CEO speak, and the New Delhi Rights Table where discussions will be carried out. There will be a “yuva corner” where 75 young writers chosen through an all-India contest will be mentored by established authors. Several cultural programmes will also be held during the fair.

Marathe added: “We also want to highlight the 2020 National Education Policy’s emphasis on multilingualism and the importance of students learning multiple languages native to India.”

Hema Maity, general manager, ITPO, co-organiser of the event said that the entry to the book fair is free for children in school uniforms, senior citizens and differently abled. She also said that a food court has been set up at the ITPO grounds for the visitors. Entry for Metro commuters will be from gate 10 and the nearest Metro station is Supreme Court. Other access gates are gate 4 and gate 6.

Tickets are available online on ITPO website as well as at 20 Metro stations — Welcome, Dilshad Garden, Rithala, GTB Nagar, Vishwavidyalay, Kashmiri Gate, Rajiv Chowk, Noida Sector-52, Noida City Centre, Botanical Garden, Vaishali, Indraprastha, Supreme Court, Mandi House, Kirti Nagar, Dwarka, Munirka, ITO, INA and Hauz Khas. People can buy tickets for the fair from 9am to 4pm at the site and the timing is from 11am to 8pm.