Gorakhpur Book Festival to begin from November 1

Gorakhpur (UP), Oct 31 (PTI) The first Gorakhpur Book Festival, organised by the National Book Trust, will begin on Saturday at Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University with the participation of more than 100 publishers.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will inaugurate the festival.

According to NBT director Yuvraj Malik, over 100 publishers will set up 200-plus stalls, showcasing thousands of books in Hindi, English, and other Indian languages. The book festival will remain open from 11 am to 8 pm daily and the entry will be free.

The festival will feature two key sections -- a "Bal Mandap" for children and a "Sahityik Manch" for literary discussions.

The "Bal Mandap" will host storytelling sessions, puppet shows, art and craft workshops, origami, and musical story hours, while the "Sahityik Manch" will see leading authors and poets such as Manorama Mishra, Ramdev Shukla, Vyomesh Shukla, and Asha Prabhat share their insights.

Other guests at the festival will include writers Ashtbhuja Shukla, Dayanand Pandey, Akriti Vigya 'Arpan', and Sunita Ababil.

Evenings will light up with cultural performances, including classical dance by the Birju Maharaj Kathak Institute, a qawwali night, a Malini Awasthi concert, and a play by NSD artists. Visitors can also explore the National Digital Library of India, offering free access to over 3,000 e-books.

The book festival will come to a close on November 9. PTI COR NAV MAH MAH