World Book Fair In Delhi Ends On High Note

World Book Fair In Delhi Ends On High Note NEW DELHI:  The 44th World Book Fair ended in New Delhi on a high note today as thousands of bookworms thronged to grab their favourite books in best deals. Organised at Pragati Maidan, the annual book fair had around 2,500 stalls belonging to around 800 publishers from India and 20 international publishers this year. The weekend crowd had

gathered at the fair, hoping to get some extra discount on the last day.

"I knew it was going to be crowded but I had to come because I couldn't make it on the working days," Neha Mathur, a student, told IANS as she was busy picking a copy of a book by author Sophie Kinsella.

"Also last year, on last day, I got good discount and bought books in pretty less price, so came today," she said.

Ashutosh Malik from Uttam Nagar, who came along with his two kids, bought two copies of colouring books and the whole Harry Potter book set.

"The kids were very keen on visiting the book fair, so I took them here. We have been coming here for last four years. It is a good platform for book lovers as it encourages reading habit," Mr Malik added.

This year, there has been a rise in the sale of children's book and the youngsters have showed interest in books, according to the publishers.

The children's pavilion especially remained a favourite spot among parents as also kids. Along with focus on children, this year's theme 'Manushi' was aimed at highlighting books written by women writers on women.

The Author's Corner gave the visitors a chance to sit and listen to the authors who spoke about their books.

Cultural events like classical dance performances and documentary on Shakespeare were also organised during the fair.

Though demonetisation and the resultant cash crunch cast its shadow on the book fair, it could not affect the spirit of book-lovers.

While many stalls had card-swiping machine, others opted for digital payment through Paytm.

As the fair ended at 5 p.m., people left the venue with a sense of lingering nostalgia and hope of returning next year for more books.