NBT Releases Three Volumes of Akashwani Sahitya Sampada at New Delhi World Book Fair

Books and Cultural Programmes Enthrall Visitors at the Fair
On the seventh day of the New Delhi World Book Fair, a large number of people visited the Fair so that they do not miss special attractions during the remaining days of the Fair and leave any opportunity to buy books and participate in the activities being organized at the Fair. Undoubtedly, the urge to gain more and more knowledge has increased and the primary source of knowledge and information are the books as technology though useful, cannot replace books. Readers of various age groups could be seen eagerly browsing through the pages of books and hand-bagged with their favorite books. In the book fair, literature in different languages of India and abroad is catching the attention of the people.

A number of cultural activities for book lovers are being organized at the New Delhi World Book Fair. The music and dance performances like traditional Bhangra-Gidda, Kathak dance, mushaira, devotional music etc. are enthralling the visitors.

Theme Pavilion
Climate change has adverse effects on agriculture, thereby farmers are also facing several challenges to save their farming. Based on this theme, a meet with environmentalists was organised at the Theme Pavilion. Moderated by Dr Manoj Pateriya, the speakers on the occasion were Shri G Krishna Prasad, Green champion mentor and a strong advocate of organic farming, and Shri Biswajit Roy Chowdhury, earth watch scientist. The speakers shared their concerns about environment and how various methods can be adopted to preserve indigenous seeds and agriculture. 

The National Council for Promotion of Sindhi Language organised a Kathak dance performance based on the nature poetry of Shah Abdul Latif at the Theme Pavilion. Shah Abdul Latif was a noted Sufi scholar, mystic, saint, and poet of Sindhi language. Prof. Baldev V Matlani, University of Mumbai and Dr. Ravi Prakash Tekchandani, Director, National Council for Promotion of Sindhi Language also spoke on the occasion. The lively Kathak performance by Geetanjali Lal and troupe from Devi Durga Kathak Sansthan enabled the audience to connect with the deeper elements of nature. 

Children’s Pavilion
A workshop titled ‘Lets Create Radio Programme and Jingle’ was organized at the Children’s Pavilion. RJ Azhar Hajini, from Radio Kashmir, Srinagar, taught children the art of making radio programmes and jingles. He provided information regarding software and new techniques which are used in making jingles. Azhar Hajini said that clear pronunciation and proper word selection are extremely important in radio programmes.

Well-known storyteller Jayashree Sethi and Rishabh from Storyghar engaged children in a lively and interactive storytelling session. During the session, Jayshree narrated the story and enacted different characters of the story, while Shri Rishabh, along with his companion, composed songs on the story and played guitar. The children also sang some popular songs along with them. 

A drama on the theme of ‘Jal Hee Jivan Hai’ was performed by the students of Ahlcon International School, through which children brought out the fact that we are currently destroying the environment and waste water to fulfill our needs, it is the time that we need to take action towards environmental protection.

Literary Activities
Prof. B. K. Kuthiala, Vice Chancellor of Makhan Lal Chaturvedi University released an anthology of poetry Heera Ke Ikkavan Moti by Hira Lal. While releasing the book, Prof. B. K. Kuthiala, said that established poets used literary language in their compositions, whereas the poetry emerging from one’s heart is a real poetry. On this occasion Shri Baldeo Bhai Sharma, Chairman, National Book Trust, India; Prof. Suresh Chand Singhal; Bhai Satya Dev Chaudhary; Shri Jagdish Roy Goyal, social activist; Shri Irfan, well-known cartoonist; Dr. O P Yadav, Editor of DD News; Shri Saurabh Shrivastav, Editor, Dainik Jagran; Shri T P Tiwari; Dr Premi Ram Mishra and Shri Atul Singhal, senior journalist were also present.

In the Conversations Authors’ Corner, a discussion on the book Sind, the Gita and Karma by Dhiraj Singh was organised. Shri Dhiraj Singh said, “My book is very light and an inspiring work. I have always been someone who encourages more characters in the story to make it engaging with twists and turns.” A discussion on the book General Knowledge for Competitive Exams authored by Harsh Gagrani and Abhishek Dubey was also held. A short quiz competition was also organised where separate teams were made and were asked certain general knowledge questions.

A discussion on the book Osho’s Death: The Untold Story authored by Abhay Vaidya was organised at Reflections Authors’ Corner. He says that his book contains everything about Osho that was necessary to explain his death. He says, “The fascinating thing about Osho was that he was a very good reader and carried 70-80 books at a time and was also a philosophy teacher and his commentary on religion and spirituality was the attractive part.”