Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated the Patna Book Festival being held at Gandhi Maidan. Organized by the National Book Trust, India of the Ministry of Education, Government of India, the book fair will continue till 27 March. Entry is free for all.
NBT Chairman Milind Sudhakar Marathe felicitated the Chief Minister by presenting a shawl and a bouquet of books. Yuvraj Malik, Director, NBT was also present on the occasion.
A Bihar Divas-themed painting competition was also organized for children at Children’s Corner as part of Book Festival activities. Workshops on Yoga and reconstructing Nalanda were also held.
Over 100 leading publishers from across the country are showcasing their prized and latest collections through 300 stalls at the Book Festival.
Several creative and intellectual activities are lined up for the visitors in the coming days, including Nalanda Samvad tomorrow, a platform for ideas, insight, and inspiration which would feature interactive sessions with eminent persons from diverse fields such as literature, art, history, artificial intelligence, etc.
Vinod Anupam, National Award-winning film critic; Balendu Sharma Dadhich, senior technology professional at Microsoft, author, and speaker; Shyam Sharma, Padma Shri awardee, eminent painter, artist, author, and poet; Prof. Imtiaz Ahmad, eminent historian and former director, Khuda Baksh Oriental Library, Patna; and Dr. Elora Tribedy, Faculty, School of Historical Studies, Nalanda University, are among the distinguished speakers set to grace the occasion.
Additionally, Bihar-based authors who were mentored in the first and second editions of the PM-YUVA mentorship scheme for young and aspiring authors will be felicitated at the Nalanda Samvad event. These include Utkarsh Anand, Nisar Ahmad, Safiyah Akhter Subhani and Deepshikha.
A number of creative activities for children, and also the cultural activities, are being held daily to attract book lovers and promote book-mindedness.
