The World Book Fair is inaugurated!

HRD minister Kapil Sibal declares the World Book Fair 2012 open .

The World Book fair was thrown open yesterday, the 25th of February, in the midst of much joy and excitement. At the Hamsadhwani open air theatre, HRD minister Kapil Sibal declared that the biennial fair would be made an annual affair. He also expressed his dream of knowledge to be free for the children of the country. 

Professor Mridula Mukherjee who was one of the chief speakers at the inaugural event spoke about the importance of books and the written word through the history of the country's struggle for independence. She stressed on the importance and power of books in spreading ideas and empowering people.

Photo courtesy: Safal Choudhary

The fair, which is being hosted at Pragati Maidan will go on from the 25th of February to the 4th of March. It is the 20th in the series of book fairs organized by NBT. The fair has 1,300 exhibitors in 2,500 kiosks in 10 of the 12 halls at Pragati Maidan spread over 45,000 square metres.