22nd Delhi Book Fair comes to close

From skits advocating the importance of reading to magic shows on initiatives like 'Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan', bestselling books at throwaway prices to unique stationery products, the Delhi Book fair that ended on Sunday had something for everyone. 

Organised by Indian Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) in association with Federation of Indian Publishers, the 22nd edition of the fair aimed to create better reading habits among children. 

Interactive activities like book reading and story telling sessions and street plays were also organised throughout the 9-day-long fair to engage young readers. 

This year was also aimed at highlighting initiatives undertaken by the central government for its 'Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan' flagship programme to inculcate better reading habits," Jayanta Das, General Manager, ITPO said. 

Ashok Karbanda (62), who presented a magic show on the importance of reading, health and hygiene at the fair, said seeing children "glued" to mobile phones and computers, is "disheartening." 

"Nowadays, children hardly have time to read books. We just try to raise awareness about different issues in a fun yet thought-provoking way," he said. 

The fair saw over 250 exhibitors including both Indian and foreign publishers, book sellers and distributors besides educational institutions and manufacturers. 

One of the major attractions was the Theme Pavillion that was transformed into a 'selfie station' "in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visions of skill development, start ups, swacch bharat etc," Das said. 

"All these campaigns were put together to make students more aware of the national initiatives," he added. 

The range of books included both fiction and non-fiction, academic books, children's literature including few stalls on digital innovations. 

School students were allowed free entry to encourage their participation in different activities organised that the fair. 

A fair guide and mobile application detailing the locations of the exhibitors and ancillary activities were also launched to make it convenient for the visitors to navigate the area.