Organised by National Book Trust, in association with ITPO, the 2020 edition of the Fair runs from January 4 to 12.
NBT Chairman Govind Prasad Sharma said that this edition would highlight the various facets of Mahatma Gandhi's life and his influence on writers of all ages. "The theme is an attempt to give booklovers a glimpse of how Mahatma Gandhi, a great strategic communicator, inspired and influenced generations of writers and how the writers understood and emulated Gandhiji in words. In the specially designed pavilion (inspired by Sabarmati Ashram), with hand-spun materials as wall cladding; there will be an exclusive exhibition of 500 books of 100 publishers on and by Gandhi in different Indian languages, as well as 30 panel discussions, book launches and performances related to the theme," NBT said.
This year, over 600 exhibitors in different languages including Bangla, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Maithili, Malayalam, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu will exhibit their books in over 1300 stalls at the Fair.
Along with business sessions, several literary and cultural activities including seminars, book release functions, and panel discussions, will be part of the Fair. It will also see participation from about 20 foreign countries including China, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Iran, Nepal, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sri Lanka, the UAE, the UK, and the US.
Vistors can be part of literary events, discussions, conversations with authors, book launches, children's activities, film screenings and cultural programmes.
The NBT, in collaboration with the All India Confederation of Blind, has published a set of 250 books in Braille for visually impaired readers. A special exhibit of these books will also be put up.
As per the organisers, the Fair will feature a children's pavilion to promote books and reading among children and young adults.
Open to the public from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and with free entry for school children in uniform, senior citizens and differently-abled, the fair will be inaugurated by HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' on Saturday.
( With inputs from IANS )