The third edition of Sahitya Akademi’s annual book fair, Pustakayan was held from 6 – 15 December 2024 at Rabindra Bhavan Lawns on Ferozeshah Road in New Delhi. The Sahitya Akademi stand at Pustakayan featured literature in 24 Indian languages, including Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Urdu, Malayalam, Assamese, Punjabi, Dogri, Bodo, Manipuri, Konkani, Sindhi, Tamil, Kannada, Rajasthani, Kashmiri, Santali, Devnagari, and Nepali.
The stand featured translations and original works of several well-known writers, including Premchand, Rabindranath Tagore, Harimohan Jha, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Kabir and Ghalib. Several language translations of Shakespeare’s works were seen on the shelves.
History of Hindi, Punjabi Literature, Indian English Literature, Cinema and Literature, Tea Garden Literature, Dalit Stories, Punjabi Short Stories, Reflections and Variations on the Mahabharata, Flok Tales of Bihar, and Maithili Short Stories were some of the books that caught our eye at the Shaitya Akademi stand.
Around 40 publishers from Delhi-NCR who publish books in Hindi and English participated in the third edition of Pustakayan. These included Bhavna Prakashan, Prelak Prakashan, Sarv Bhasha Trust, Children’s Book Trust, Yash Publication, Prints Publication, Avichal Publishing Company (APC) Books, Prakashan Sansthan, Saubhagya Prakashan, Little Bird Publications, Hind Yugm, Kitabghar Prakashan, Rekhta Publications, Prabhat Prakashan, Taylor and Francis Books India, Niyogi Books, Rajpal and Sons, Lokbharti Prakashan, Leafy Publications, Nai Kitab Prakashan, Setu Prakashan, Angoor Prakashan and Anjuman Tariqqui Urdu Hind, among others.
Pustakayan had a number of panel discussions, book readings and poetry readings to engage and entertain the audience, which helped in building a dialogue and form a connect between the publishers, readers and writers. More than 100 writers and authors participated in the various programs conducted by the Akademi as a part of Pustakayan.
The Akademi has made an effort for visitors to experience the various book themed discussions and cultural programs, apart from visiting the stands, browsing through books and making a purchase, an officer who didn’t want to be named said.
Pustakayan also focused on children-themed activities such as painting competitions, poetry recitation, short story recitation, and some book discussions on children’s literature, he said, adding that the Akademi aimed to create an interest in reading and literature through these activities. Nowadays, many children are engaged in social media browsing, which has led to lesser interest in reading as a hobby.
Many authors and writers who have spoken at the fair in the past have requested children to limit their time on social media and invest their time in reading, which has multifarious benefits, he said.
Reading helps children explore new and diverse themes, while providing an outlet for stress, which is on the rise in children and young adults, he said, adding that the Sahitya Akademi wants to promote a love for reading among children through these activities.
