Lucknow: The 22nd National Book Fair at Balrampur Garden, Ashok Marg, continued into its third day with a festive atmosphere and bustling crowds. Book lovers thronged the stalls, browsing eagerly through an eclectic mix of classics, new releases, and rare collections.
Rajkamal Prakashan’s offerings attracted heavy footfall with titles like The Autobiography of Charlie Chaplin, Seema Kapoor’s Yoon Guzri Ab Talak, Javed Akhtar’s Sepia, Gulzar’s anthology Gungunaaye comprising 500 songs, and Anupmani Tripathi’s satirical work Saanpon Ki Sabha. At Prabhat Prakashan, readers gravitated toward N. Chokkan’s thrilling accounts of espionage including FBI Adventures, Untold Truths of the CIA, and Untold Truths of the KGB. Former DGP Brijlal’s crime-based narrative Dedh Biswan Zameen also drew wide appreciation.
Other highlights included Apoorva Shah’s miniature one-inch edition of the Bhagavad Gita and Divyansh Publications’ massive eight-volume, 4,000-page edition of Osho’s Gita Darshan. Readers also showed keen interest in Acharya Chatursen’s Vayam Rakshamah and Vaishali Ki Nagarvadhu, Bhagat Singh’s Jail Diary, and Hindi Yugm’s modern titles like Vinod Kumar Shukl’s Diwar Mein Ek Khidki, Manav Kaul’s Sanyam, and Divya Prakash Dubey’s Yaar Pap, October Junction, and Sugar Daddy.
The day’s events featured a poetry symposium by Navsrijan Sanstha, beginning with Anil Kishore Shukl Nidar’s Vani Vandana. A poetry recital followed, showcasing contributors of Wah Tum Ho, a joint anthology edited by Dr. Yogesh, Manju Saxena, and Devesh Dwivedi. A discussion on Dr. Veena Uday’s poetry collection Ninad examined societal contradictions, while the release of Dr. Engineer Manoj Srivastava’s book celebrating his 60 years of poetic journey drew much applause.
The evening closed with a vibrant poetry session chaired by Sanjay Mishra Shauq, featuring performances by poets including Somnath Kashyap, Dheeraj Mishra, Anupam Srivastava, and Harshit Mishra.
The fair, offering free entry and at least 10% discount on all purchases, will run daily from 11 am to 9 pm until September 14. Partners include UP Metro, Radio City, Origins, Kiran Foundation, Join Hands Foundation, Lokangan, and Vishwam Foundations.
