New Delhi World Book Fair: With 35 countries participating, all about 'largest book exhibition'

The 53rd edition of the New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF) is underway at Bharat Mandapam in Pragati Maidan. The book fair, said to be the world's largest, is being organised this year with the theme ‘Indian Military History: Valour and Wisdom @75’, with publishers from over 35 countries participating.

The annual book fair by the National Book Trust (NBT) was inaugurated by Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan and stands out as one of the most expansive cultural and literary celebrations.

This year, for the first time in its history, the book fair is honouring the valour of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force and highlighting their courage and sacrifice in nation-building.

The 9-day book fair, is being held from January 10 to 18 and brings together over 1,000 publishers from over 35 countries. The grand event will host about 600 literary activities with nearly 1,000 speakers and is expected to "attract over two million visitors".

The nearest metro to the book fair is the Supreme Court Station on the Blue Line. At Gate 10 of Bharat Mandapam, a free shuttle will drop the attendees to the entrance.

It will host about 600 literary activities with nearly 1000 speakers and is expected to attract over 20 lakh visitors. The book fair is being held at Hall No 2–6 at Bharat Mandapam.

Apart from major publishers and exhibitors, there are more than 3000 stalls, over 1000 publishers, and more than 600 literary and editorial programs.

The fair also host authors, speakers, and public figures, including Piyush Mishra, Smriti Irani, Hema Malini, Kailash Satyarthi, Ricky Kej, Jaya Kishori, Durjoy Dutta, Shalini Passi, and Shubhanshu Shukla.

It also hosts publishers, authors, and cultural institutions from more than 35 nations, including Russia, Japan, Poland, France, Abu Dhabi, Iran, Kazakhstan, Hungary, and Chile.

The theme pavilion includes over 500 books, curated exhibits, installations, life-sized replicas and tributes to 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees. The event also features over 100 theme-based talks, panel discussions and book launches feature renowned defence veterans, historians and authors.