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NBT book fair begins

By Our Staff Reporter

The Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, going around the book fair organised by the National Book Trust, in New Delhi on Saturday.

NEW DELHI DEC. 6. The National Book Trust today launched its second round of book fairs and exhibitions in Delhi as part of its role as the nodal agency for implementation of the programmes envisaged under the declaration of the UNESCO which proclaimed Delhi as the World Book Capital for 2003-04.

The inaugural function, in which the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, inaugurated the first exhibition at Peshwa Road, Gole Market, included a book march by hundreds of children and a "gyan vandana'' by children that regaled the audience. Ms Dikshit expressed happiness over the fact that on her re-election as the Chief Minister, the first event that she was inaugurating was a book exhibition. She also lauded the efforts being made by the NBT in promoting books and assured of her government's full cooperation in the endeavour.

In his inaugural address, the president of Sahitya Akademi, Gopichand Narang, described books as the biggest creation of the world after the "mother'' and said they played an equally important role in transforming the personality of a person.

The Director of Bharatiya Jnanpith, Shrotiya, said the cultural tradition began with books and there was a need to give books as gifts to promote the habit of reading. The fair and exhibition are part of the year-long celebrations that have been planned to celebrate the declaration, following which the Government of India had designated the NBT as the nodal agency for implementing the programmes. And this time, NBT will be organising exhibitions at 29 places across the Capital up to December 14.

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