Guwahati: An upcoming book fair, to be held at the Assam Institute of Engineering (AIE) grounds in Guwahati from December 29-January 9 promises to be a multilingual extravaganza for litterateurs and book-lovers alike.

“Book fairs have provided great relief to book publishers and sellers of the region in coping losses incurred during the Covid-19 induced lockdown. It has played a positive role in bringing together a younger generation of writers from different parts of Assam for intellectual discussions”, one of the organizers, busy putting the finishing touch on preparations, shared with Business North East over the phone.

This year, around 25 foreign outlets, including 15 from Dhaka, will take part in the fair. Assam has an avid reader base of Bengali literature as most of the population is proficient in the language due to its similarity to Assamese.

Overall, more than 150 publishing houses from Assam and beyond will be participating in the fair which will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma. Leading publication houses like Penguin and Oxford will also bring a taste of their national and international bestsellers to stalls at the fair.

Education Minister Ranoj Pegu, prominent writer J Sai Deepak, and Sahitya Akademi secretary K Srinivas Rao will be the chief guests at the inaugural function.

“Every day, we will have the participation of experts and experienced persons on various relevant issues of language, literature, and social life. Bangalore's Sahitya Akademi Award winner Patipakka Mohan, Sanskrit scholar Sampadananda Mishra, and renowned writer Sudeep Nagarkar are scheduled to participate in these discussions”, said the organizer.

The closing ceremony will be attended by education minister Ranoj Pegu and Assam Publications Council Chairman Pramod Kalita. Renowned writer Deep Haldar and noted environmental activist-cum-writer Mohit Roy will attend as guests of honour.

The book fair will also feature drawing, lecture, and quiz competitions for students and a youth talent development program called 'Unmilan'. As in previous years, admission to the book fair will be free for senior writers and students with identity cards.

Along with Guwahati, book fairs will also be held in North Lakhimpur, Sivasagar, Silchar, and Haflong throughout this winter.

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