Book Fair at ITF Ground Draws Massive Crowd; Cultural and Literary Events Enthrall Visitors

Sri Vijaya Puram, Feb. 19:  With stalls featuring good collection of books from renowned publishers across India, the Book Fair at ITF ground has attracted people from all walks of life with bibliophiles, students, educators, and literature enthusiasts are exploring the diverse range of books showcased at the fair. Organized by National Book Trust, India with the support of the Department of Art & Culture, A&N Administration, as many as 31 publishers from mainland India have set up their stalls with a wide variety of books of various genre and authors, in different languages.

The Chief Secretary, A&N Administration, Dr. Chandra Bhushan Kumar, IAS, today visited the Book Fair and explored the various stalls and took keen interest in the diverse collection of books on display. The Secretary, Art & Culture, Ms. Jyoti Kumari, IAS was also present on the occasion.

The Children’s Corner at the Fair is engaging children with various activities.  The Day 6 of the Children’s Corner, organized by National Book Trust, India at ITF Ground continued learning with fun sessions. Over 200 children from various schools across the city enthusiastically participated in the day’s activities.

The day began with a lively Story Craft Workshop by Alma and Gaurav, where children created four different animal characters using colourful origami papers. The session beautifully came together as a story unfolded featuring all the origami characters made by the children, complete with fun jingles that everyone joyfully sang along to—turning storytelling into a truly immersive experience.

The second session, Let’s Design a Book Cover, sparked imagination and originality. Children were shown three children’s books published by National Book Trust, India, with their original cover illustrations hidden. Participants then designed their own book covers for a book of their choice, reimagining stories through their unique artistic lens.

In the third session, Let’s Design a Mascot, children were invited to create a mascot for the Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya app. The excitement doubled when children met and danced with the original mascot, Cheetah, filling the space with energy and laughter.

Adding to the fun-filled day, the special Activity Zone remained buzzing as children happily created doodles, freely expressing their creativity in colours and shapes.

Along with the morning sessions for the children, as part of the evening sessions, the Art and Culture Dept. is organizing culture programs of classical, semi classical and folk dances and songs. Cultural organisations namely MJ Music Academy, Vikas Dance Academy and Event Musical Groups presented today’s programmes much to the delight of the audience present at the ITF Ground.

The much awaited ‘Kavya Sandhya’ – an evening dedicated to poetry, will be held at 6.15 pm on Feb 21, at the same venue, along with other cultural programs. Altogether 12 noted and upcoming poets from these Islands will present their compositions in this program.

Another highlight will be the ventriloquism by Ms. Shibani Ghosh at 5.45 pm tomorrow (Feb.19).

The much awaited ‘Kavya Sandhya’ – an evening dedicated to poetry, will be held at 6.15 pm on Feb 21, at the same venue, along with other cultural programs. Altogether 12 noted and upcoming poets from these Islands will present their compositions in this program.

Another highlight will be the ventriloquism by Ms. Shibani Ghosh at 5.45 pm tomorrow (Feb.19).