Discounted books to trendy stationery: Delhi Book Fair 2025 draws bibliophiles in droves

New Delhi, Aug 8 (PTI) Enticing discounts, bustling student crowds, and a treasure trove of books greet visitors at the 29th Delhi Book Fair, where both avid readers and casual browsers are rekindling their love for the written word.

Held at Bharat Mandapam, the fair — organised by the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Publishers (FIP) — is celebrating India's rich linguistic diversity in its current edition.

With nearly 50 exhibitors, including publishing houses and book vendors, the five-day event offers something for every kind of reader -- serving up the best across genres and categories, one book at a time.

"It is a very close-to-heart fair for ITPO, especially in times when digital media is taking over and the relevance of books per se has decreased... We have reached out to all schools and colleges in Delhi, and we expect a huge crowd of students to visit us. See the effort we have put in — that will motivate us to organise more such events, and to do them on an even larger scale," said Lt. Colonel Harsh Kondilya, officer on special duty at ITPO.

However, some publishers like Rupa Publications, offering a 20 per cent discount on its titles, are witnessing an uptick in sales.

"The response has been really good, especially from youngsters who are turning up in large numbers. They’re buying religious books, Hindi literature, self-help titles, storybooks, and children’s books," said Pankaj Arora from the publishing house.

Besides a plethora of books, what also caught the attention of bibliophiles was the 25th edition of the Stationery Fair, running parallel to the book fair, with many splurging in the latest stationery trends.

And leading stationery brand DOMS, a regular at the Stationery Fair for the past decade, was glad to connect directly with end consumers and showcase its products.

"Like always, the response this year has also been very good. We participate in this exhibition to be closer to our end consumers. This is a great opportunity for us — one that DOMS never misses — and we’ll continue to be here in the future as well," said Savita Bisht, vice-president Sales (Exports) at DOMS Industries Ltd.

It was a one-of-its-kind experience for first-timers, who were clearly overwhelmed by the rows of books and the best of stationery products on offer.

For instance, Rishits, a college student, said his only complaint was having a limited budget to spend.

"It's fantastic, it's fascinating! I've never seen so many books in one place. There's so much stationery—and I'm mad about stationery! I'm just trying to make sure I don't spend too much, since I'm on a limited budget," said the student in her 20s.

Additionally, the fair also hosts book launches, panel discussions, quiz competitions, and cultural performances by children.

The fair will come to a close on August 10. PTI MG RB RB