New Delhi World Book Fair 2025: Book lovers throng to Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan despite day 1 delays

The Book Fair saw visitor queueing till the metro station, on day 1. Here's how excited visitors are browsing and buying books at great discounts till it lasts!

First day of a fair is expected to start with a bang, but this one was pretty loud to state how the interest for books is resurging! The New Delhi World Book Fair 2025 opened on Saturday, February 1, to a massive crowd of people who queued till the metro station on day 1. Since the gates opened to public nearly two hours after the scheduled time, this led to a crowded situation. But this delay failed to dampen the spirit of bibliophiles.

Books, authors, and a buzzing crowd — New Delhi World Book Fair 2025 has kicked-off with a slight delay but boundless enthusiasm.(Photos; Manoj Verma/HT)

Visitors had to wait for more than two hours before the gates finally opened on day 1. (Photo: Manoj Verma/HT)

Even after witnessing long queues, the book lovers eagerly awaited their turn to enter and dive into the literary extravaganza. For they couldn’t hold their excitement to browse, and buy books at great discounts! This was evident from the four halls getting packed with visitors, expressing sheer joy as they excitedly let their delighted squeals be heard to others.

Visitors Apurv and Ranya struck a pose with their favourite books from their haul, declaring this edition of the Book Fair the best one yet! (Photo: Manoj Verma/HT)

This year’s theme of the fair – We the People of India – has captivated quite a few young visitors. Anushruti Bhardwaj, a 28-year-old private equity consultant who visited with her younger sister, Kriti, says, “For our family, coming to the book fair is an annual tradition. We dress up early in the morning, and head out to indulge in our one true love — books! This year’s theme looks exciting, especially since I enjoy regional literature, though mostly in translation. I'm eager to find titles that aren’t easily available in the mainstream bookstores.”

The theme of book fair's ongoing edition is, We the People of India. (Photo: Manoj Verma/HT)

Durga Kashyap and Neha Jha took a nostalgic trip down memory lane while browsing through children's titles. (Photo: Manoj Verma/HT)

Young visitors took their literary love to the next level by dressing up as their favourite authors. Among these were Devika Sharma who channeled her inner Sylvia Plath, and Arshia Phogat who tried to embody Jane Austen. (Photo: Manoj Verma/HT)

Some visitors were here for professional reasons, too. “I made it a point to visit the fair on the very first day to carefully select books for our school library,” shares Soni Kumari, a Delhi-based teacher, adding, “I didn’t want to miss out on any titles that could benefit our students even if that meant waiting up for hours outside to gain entry on day one itself.”

Teachers like Soni Kumari are visiting the fair to pick out the best books for their students. (Photo: Manoj Verma)

For students like Kanishka, the Jeetu Bhaiya-themed carry bags are a hit! (Photo: Manoj Verma/HT)

Taking a dip into this vast ocean of knowledge were some visitors who were enamoured by the collection of books available on the Maha Kumbh. “Though it’s early to say, but we’ve noticed a growing demand for books on religious events like the ongoing Maha Kumbh. This is coming in especially from parents who are looking for engaging and interactive ways to teach the children and make them aware about our Indian traditions,” says a stall owner at the fair. In fact, several publishers have even rolled out exciting discounts, ranging between 10% to 65%, on select titles.

Books based on the Maha Kumbh are drawing the interest of readers who are eager to explore its history and significance. (Photo: Manoj Verma/HT)

Marking the inauguration of Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya by National Book Trust India was a mascot, who encouraged visitors to scan the QR code on its T-shirt. The mobile app offers more than 100 titles, free of cost to the readers. (Photo: Manoj Verma/HT)

Youngsters like students Preeti Rawat, Sweety Pandey and Chanchal Upadhyay had a blast clicking selfies and indulging in some much-needed book retail therapy. (Photo: Manoj Verma/HT)

Where's what?

The fair is divided into sections catering to different literary tastes:

• Hall 2: Indian language publishers
• Hall 4: International Pavilion; featuring books from Russia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), France, and Turkey
• Hall 5: Author’s Corner for visitors to interact with writers, and several trade publishers including majot players such as Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, and Bloomsbury, to name a few.
• Hall 6: Children’s Pavilion, to spoil the young readers for choice.

Delhi-based homemaker Upasana Yadav enjoys an afternoon at the book fair, with three munchkins — Devika, Aarya, and Vedika — her two daughters and her niece. (Photo: Manoj Verma/HT)

Catch It Live

What: New Delhi World Book Fair 2025

Where: Halls 2 to 6, Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan

When: February 1 to 9

Timing: 11am to 8pm

Entry: ₹20 (adults), ₹10 (children); Free for senior citizens, and youngsters in school uniform

Tickets: Available at the venue and DMRC Momentum 2.0 mobile app

Nearest Metro Station: Supreme Court on the Blue Line

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