The 53rd edition of the New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF) 2026 was held from 10-18 January at Bharat Mandapam Delhi. Organized by the National Book Trust (NBT) under the ministry of education, this edition had the theme ‘Indian Military History: Valour and Wisdom @75,’ with a special focus on the legacy of the Indian Armed Forces. The fair featured exhibits celebrating 150 years of Vande Mataram and the life of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel @150.
In a first, entry was free for the public to encourage wider participation and promote a stronger reading culture. The fair featured participation from over 35 countries, more than 1,000 publishers, over 3,000 stalls, around 600 literary and cultural events, and over 1,000 speakers.
Kumar Vikram, chief editor and joint director at NBT, told Indian Printer & Publisher that the effort was always to integrate new ideas and subjects because it’s a world of books and not only about literature and poetry. “We focused on cinema, sports, and cultural heritage. In that continuity, this theme of Indian military history was chosen and I think it clicked with the younger crowd.
“Qatar was the Guest of Honor and Spain was the Focus Country and they brought an excellent contingent and delegation of authors and writers. We also hosted a kind of global dialogue on books and reading. The Polish, French, and Ukraine ambassadors discussed the role of books and literature in society in a macro way,” Vikram noted.
There were book discussions at the International Events corner, Lekhak Manch for Hindi and Indian languages, Authors Corner for English conversations and English language books, a Children’s Activity Center, and a Children’s Pavilion.
Indian Military History theme
Vikram said changes in the design added flavor to the fair. “We created a thematic presentation on Indian Military History. The Theme Pavilion’s gate was inspired from the gate of the Indian Military Academy (IMA). The Sudan block of National Defence Academy (NDA) was replicated, along with miniature versions of Arjun Tank and INS Vikrant and Tejas.”
The NDWBF 2026 had a special corner for Paramvir Chakra awardees. There were panels and graphics on the history of major wars and conflicts as well as the Indian philosophy of valor and wisdom through quotations and descriptions from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita, Dhanur Veda, Artha Shastra, and Niti Shastra.
Documentaries and videos were played on various screens. The fair also had a simulated experience of INS Vikrant and flying in a Tejas through AR and VR systems.
The United Service Institution of India provided support and the Pentagon Press, an authority on military history books and security and defense strategy books, conducted programs, Vikram said.
Publishers such as Penguin Random House India did a special display of military-themed books. Vikram said publishers generally take the cue when the National Book Trust announces the theme and do some special exhibits and/or bring out special related books. “I think the book fair provides a good opportunity and platform for discussions and dialogues.”
Over 500 books on the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force covering military history, strategic studies and biographies were put on display. Some of the highlighted books included
India’s Most Fearless: True Stories of Modern Military Heroes by Rahul Singh and Shiv Aroor, published by Penguin Random House India; The Crimson Chinar: The Kashmir Conflict – A Politico Military Perspective by Brig (Retd) Amar Cheema, published by Lancer Publishers; 1945: The Reckoning: War, Empire and the Struggle for a New World by Phil Craig, published by Hodder & Stoughton; Kargil: From Surprise to Victory by General (Retd) VP Malik, published by HarperCollins; Paradise at War: A Political History of Kashmir by Radha Kumar, published by Aleph Book Company; India’s Wars: A Military History, 1947-1971 by Arjun Subramaniam, published by HarperCollins India; Military History of India by Jadunath Sarkar, published by Jadunath Sarkar; Battle of Barki by Brig (Retd) Kanwaljit Singh and Kiran Nirvan, published by Srishti Publishers; Rambo: The true account of a Special Forces Officer, Major Sudhir Walia by Col Ashutosh Kale, published by Srishti Publishers; and Balidan: Stories of India’s Greatest Para Special Forces Operatives by Swapnil Pandey, published by HarperCollins India.
Sahitya Akademi didn’t have a separate stand this year but was a part of the larger ministry of culture stand, which included participation by different cultural and literary institutions from across India.
Claudia Kaiser, vice president of the Frankfurt Book Fair noted, “India has such a rich culture and literature. There are immense opportunities for Indian works to be translated into other languages.”
Speaking on the sidelines of the New Delhi Rights Table, a key business-to-business initiative of the New Delhi World Book Fair 2026, Kaiser said India stands out for its cultural depth, diversity of voices and strong reader engagement.
Prakash Books showcased books for children and grown-ups, coffee table books, fiction, non-fiction, reference books, The Constitution of India, and religion and spirituality books. In the children’s section, called Wonder House Books, the company had mythology, classics, and encyclopedias, activity and coloring books.
Prakash Books is one of India’s largest distributors of trade books. Shantanu Duttagupta, publisher – Fingerprint and Prakash Books said the publishing house has offices in major metros. “We provide books to all areas and strata of society. Our aim is to make as many people read as possible.”
At the Penguin stand, we met Ekta Chauhan, author of Sheher Mein Gaon: Culture, Conflict and Change in the Urban Villages of Delhi and Srishti Chaudhary, author of A Shimla Affair and Lallan Sweets.
Manjul Publishing House publishes approximately 15 to 20 titles every month across all languages, English and other regional languages as well, said Sunil Vohra, sales director at Manjul Publishing House. “We displayed approximately 2,000 titles. We had two stalls, one in English and one in Hindi, because we have a large range of Hindi publishing as well. The footfall was good, especially on weekends. Visitors purchased non-fiction titles and self-help books, and that is where we are very strong. We recently did translations of Murakami books, The 40 Rules of Love by Elif Shafak and Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa in Hindi. The Hindi translation of Days at the Morisaki Bookshop released at the fair received a great response.”
Edsol Informatics, a publisher and distributor, exhibited close to 60 titles from various Indian authors. The company is a distributor for various international organizations such as the International Foundation for Sustainability Peace and Development, Arcoyn International Institute of Medical Science and Technology Council. The publisher also launched an internship program for Indian students. It is also a distributor for Image Twin, an image analysis AI software for research.
The four-year-old Noida-based organization works in Southeast Asian countries and sells products such as RFID equipment, civil equipment, medical equipment, eBooks, and eJournals. “We showcased books on artificial intelligence, data science, neuroscience, pharmacy, as well as multidisciplinary books. We got a lot of queries from other distributors,” Vikas Madan, director – Edsol Informatics, said.
