India has been designated as the Guest of Honour at Paris Livre (Paris Book Fair) in 2020 (20-23 March). National Book Trust, India (under Ministry of HRD, Govt. of India) is the nodal agency coordinating the Guest Country Presentation at the Book Fair. The designation of India as the Guest Country was declared in the Joint Statement signed between the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India and the Hon’ble President of France during the latter’s visit to India in February 2018. The Joint Statement also mentions that France will be the Guest Country at the New Delhi World Book Fair 2022.
As a follow-up to the next year’s Guest of Honour Presentation at Paris Book fair, the National Book Trust, India participated in the recently concluded Paris Book Fair 2019 (15-18 March), held at Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles, Paris. From the National Book Trust, India, a two-member delegation were present at the book fair – Dr Rita Chowdhury, Director and Mr Kumar Vikram, Editor & Project In-charge. The National Book Trust, India delegates also called on the Hon’ble Ambassador of India to France, Mr Vinay Mohan Kwatra, at the Embassy of India in Paris, to brief him about India’s Guest Country Project at Livre Paris 2020. The Hon’ble Ambassador was also presented a copy of the NBT publication ‘Gandhi: The Writer’ authored by Bhabhani Bhattacharya.
On the final day of the fair, in a formal ceremony, Mr. Vincent Montagne, President of ‘French Publishers Association’ (SNE), the organisers of the Livre Paris, announced the participation of India as Guest Country in the next edition of Livre Paris. Dr Rita Chowdhury thanked Mr Montagne and expressed NBT’s commitment to showcase a grand presentation of India as Guest Country in Livre Paris 2020. Mr Kumar Vikram and Mr Naman Upadhyay, Press and Culture Attaché, Embassy of India to France were also present on the occasion. Mr Upadhyay spoke on behalf of the Embassy of India at the event.
