Lucknow: Gomti Book Festival culminates after 9 days of festivities around books and means of expression. On the last day of the festival celebrated athlete and Paralympics champion, Simran Sharma engaged in a candid and heartfelt conversation with the audience at Lekhakganj and shared her support mechanism in the journey to an Olympic medal. Sharma remarked, “With family’s support and belief, you can achieve anything.” Another standout session featured Rajiv Gupta, author of The Good Indian Employee’s Guide to Surviving a Lala Company, who shared valuable insights on dealing with the tough modern-day workplaces and ways of survival.
Organized by National Book Trust, India, this third edition of the festival was a vibrant confluence of books, ideas, and culture, offering something for everyone. The event included engaging literary sessions, a successful children’s film festival, and a vast collection of books in multiple languages.
Inaugurated by the Honorable Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on November 9, the festival witnessed overwhelming participation throughout its nine-day run. Distinguished personalities from the fields of art, science, literature, and beyond graced various sessions, contributing to thought-provoking discussions on themes critical to literature, society, and culture.
The festival featured insightful discussions on topics such as fostering a library culture, the evolving roles of traditional and new media, the relevance of Buddha’s teachings in addressing contemporary conflicts, and the transformative power of translation in promoting Indian languages. A special focus was placed on the importance of preserving India’s folk traditions and literature, emphasizing the need to pass on this rich cultural legacy to future generations while remaining rooted in our heritage.
The festival was attended by distinguished personalities from literature, arts, and culture, including author AnandNeelkanthan, Rochelle Potkar, RatulChakraborty, GeetaRamanujan, former Union Education Minister Ramesh PokhriyalNishank, filmmaker Padma ShriMuzaffar Ali, Padma ShriMaliniAwasthi, acting guru PhonsokLadakhi, Rajiv Gupta, Dr. Anil Rastogi, HimanshuBajpayee, IndiaraNaik, and many others.
The Children’s Film Festival was a major attraction, showcasing globally acclaimed films that drew large crowds and added a cinematic charm to the event. The Shabd Samsara segment captivated young minds with carefully curated activities, including workshops on cybersecurity, Madhubani art, storytelling, puppet-making, dance, and more, inspiring creativity and learning among children of all ages.
Throughout the festival, book enthusiasts of all ages could be seen exploring Kitab Gali, selecting their favorite reads from an impressive array of books in diverse languages, highlighting the festival’s role as a bridge between readers and stories.
The final day of the Gomti Book Festival was just as magical, with soulful performance by Ramesht Band and a poetic evening with Dr. Sanjay, Chadrashaker Varma, Kalpana Pandey, Pawan Prageet, Dr. Sudha Mishra, Somnath Kashyap, Rubina Ayaz, Saurav Jaiswal, Mukul Mahan, Anupam Srivastava, Suryaprakash Suraj, Ram Prakesh Bekhud. It was a true testament to the power of words, inspiring everyone to eagerly await the next literary gathering. Next edition of the Gomti Book Festival is scheduled to be organized in November 2025.
