“We are in the midst of ocean of books,” said Dr Ramesh Pokkhriyal ‘Nishank,’ Hon’ble Union Minister for Human Resource Development, while inaugurating the 28th edition of New Delhi World Book Fair 2020 (NDWBF) at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi on 4 January 2020. Dr Nishank added, this Mahakumbh of books is filled with thoughts, the thoughts which give power to humanity. “This book fair is a place where people meet each other, and generate and share new thoughts and ideas,” said Dr Nishank. He added that the books help youth of India to come across new thoughts.
Talking about the Theme of the Fair this year, which is GANDHI: WRITERS’ WRITER, Dr Nishank said, “We are celebrating 150 years of Mahatma Gandhi, in times when we need him the most. The world today is facing several challenges including terrorism.”
“The world, the nation, the society and all individuals, need Gandhi because of his vision and his philosophy of peace and non-violence,” he added. Dr Nishank also urged publishers to promote books and the habit of reading as people are dwindling away from books, and a book fair like the NDWBF ensures that books and reading is preserved and increases.
Dr Nishank appreciated the fact that the New Delhi World Book Fair is arguably Asia’s biggest book fair and he was hopeful that this fair would soon become the world’s biggest book fair!
Prof. Girishwar Misra, eminent Gandhian scholar, and the Guest of Honour on the occasion spoke in detail about the life and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. Prof. Girishwar Misra said, “Though a common man, Mahatma Gandhi was the Man of Century”. He showed the path of truth, peace and non-violence because of his wide reading of books including Gita, Quran and Bible. He imbibed the essence of all the knowledge he gained. Gandhi was the epitome of idea of Glocal that we often discuss in today’s world. In his writings, he could bring in universal ideas through local wisdom.
While welcoming the guests, Prof. Govind Prasad Sharma, Chairman, NBT informed the audience about this edition of the New Delhi World Book Fair, and said that through this world of books, one can gain more and more knowledge in different fields and show us new direction.
On this occasion, Shri Madan Mohan, Joint Secretary, MHRD, and Shri Rajesh Aggarwal, Executive Director, ITPO were also present.
While thanking the guests, Ms Neera Jain, Director, NBT said that “For over 60 years we have been with the world of books, sharing its knowledge, culture and civilizational heritage among millions of readers. In this long journey, NBT has continually to raise the bar higher and higher to fulfill our mandate, especially New Delhi World Book Fair.”
