Lucknow: The enthusiasm of young people is evident at every level of participation at the 22nd National Book Fair, which is currently underway at Balrampur Garden on Ashok Marg. Beyond just books, the fair offers plenty of opportunities for young talent to showcase their skills. With free admission and at least a 10% discount on every book, the fair premises were alive with street plays performed by young men and women.
In the realm of literature, books exploring various facets of “Operation Sindoor,” a topic that has been under continuous discussion since its execution, are available at the fair. At the Samayik Prakashan stall, Karuna Shankar Upadhyay’s book, “Operation Sindoor: Anjane Sandarbh,” provides a detailed review, sending a clear message that India is determined to protect its sovereignty. The stall also features literary works by prominent authors like Mridula Sinha, Chitra Mudgal, Namita Singh, and Meenakshi Natarajan, all with a 20% discount.
Books that are proving popular include Raj Verma’s “Swatantrata Ka Kakori Adhyay” (The Kakori Chapter of Freedom) from Bhagalpur’s Dinkar Library, Yashwant Vyas’s “Begum Pul Se Dariyaganj,” Jaya Kishori’s “Jo Hai Thik Hai,” and Vivek-Amit’s “Jyotirling.” The Unbound Script stall offers a rich collection of poetry by Ghalib, Daag, Iqbal, Zafar, Momin, as well as modern poets like Neeraj, Manzar Bhopali, and Rahat Indori.
Students from Shri Ramswaroop University performed street plays on the fair’s theme, “Vision-2047.” As part of the Vishwam Mahotsav, children including Shagun, Sneha, Chandni, Vartika, Lakshmi, Naina, Kirti, Shraddha, Payal, Kishan, Akash, Kajal, and Roli participated with great zeal.
You’ll also find Shashi Yadav here, who revives the forgotten art of Hindi calligraphy on paper to create posters, cards, and bookmarks. Book lovers can have her write custom messages on posters.
In the evening, Katha Rang presented a dramatic reading of Rabindranath Tagore’s story “Pinjar” and Ashutosh Shukla’s “Thes.” Tagore’s “Pinjar” tells a story of death, love, and reincarnation through a skeleton frame brought in to teach medicine to a young student, and a female spirit connected to it. The story “Thes” centers on a childless couple, focusing on women’s identity and self-respect. The voices for “Thes” were provided by Nutan Vashisht, Punita Awasthi, and Anmol Mishra, while Anupama Sharad and Som Ganguli lent their voices to “Pinjar.”
Earlier in the day, a book discussion by the Bharatiya Laghukatha Srijan Sansthan was followed by a poetry session from Sahitya Vithika. In the afternoon, Dr. Karuna Pandey’s books, the short story collection “High Tech” and “Janjati Ka Gaon-Lokgeeton Ki Chhaon,” were launched. Prof. Suryaprasad Dixit, Padma Shri Vidya Bindu Singh, Ashok Chaudhary, Mahendra Bhishma, Dr. Harishankar Mishra, Dr. Alka Pramod, and V.B. Pandey spoke at the event.
At a ceremony hosted by Ira magazine, books like “Aankhon Mein Samandar,” “Pani Pe Aag Bote Hue,” “Tootati Zanjeeren,” and “Maun Jab Mukhrit Hua” were released. The poetry session saw a spectacular gathering of poets, including Deen Bandhu, Vandana Sharma, Pawan Srivastava, Mohd. Siddiqui, Neerja Neeru, Anushree, Furqan, Manoj, and Ajay.
