A literary wonderland, where stories came alive! A nine-day extravaganza for bookworms saw speakers and authors from 50 countries engaging with readers and children to exchange ideas and ponder over what’s the good word.
At the New Delhi World Book Fair 2025, there were 1000 books which were brought from Russia, including children’s picture books, books on tourism and story books. A collection of poetry of popular Hindi film lyricist Irshad Kamil titled “Nazmon ka Mausam” is now available as “Seasons of Poetry” in India in Russian language.
Paradise for bibliophiles
The largest of its kind literary gathering in the world, the New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF) celebrated 75 years of the Indian Republic and “We the people of India”.
The Mahakumbh of books enthralled bibliophiles and the general public alike with extensive and intensive literature on various aspects of the Indian Republic as they took a “dip” in the vast ocean of knowledge for nine days, beginning February 1, at Pragati Maidan.
Focus country at NDWBF was Russia. This was the 32nd edition of this flagship event of National Book Trust under the Ministry of Education. There were over 2000 publishers and exhibitors, more than 1000 speakers and over 600 literature and cultural stations. There were authors and speakers from over 50 countries including France, Qatar, Spain, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Columbia.
Digital Experiential Zones, set up by NBT-India in Halls 4 and 6, offered a glimpse into the future of storytelling and the way humans interact with books by bringing to life popular characters and narratives through cutting-edge technology leaving the people spell-bound.
One could step into the shoes of legendary figures like Krrish, Shaktimaan, Princess Jasmine, or the brilliant Hermione, and watch as their expressions animated their beloved characters, creating personalised moments to cherish. The magic of the Immersive Virtual Library enabled one to experience and be a part of historical milestones like India’s moon landing!
Technology took the audience through a thrilling journey of India’s space mission Chandrayaan-3 to get a hands-on experience of being inside the control room, or dance through the classical tales of ‘Nritya Katha’, in a three-dimensional storytelling spectacle that engaged all their senses.
From Russia, with love
Time was when Russian story books, or rather English translations of children’s books from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR), were common on the shelves of Indian readers. The colourful and beautifully illustrated fairy tale tomes from yonderland could be had for asking almost anywhere in India – at local Christmas fairs, book stores or exhibitions.
Gradually, as the Indian economy opened up and brought in a whole new world of books and magazines and simultaneously the USSR disintegrated into smaller nations, the influx of Russian books came to a stop. Now, after a gap of nearly four decades, Russia is once again back in India with its treasure trove of books.
At the New Delhi World Book Fair 2025, there were 1000 books which were brought from Russia, including children’s picture books, books on tourism and story books. A collection of poetry of popular Hindi film lyricist Irshad Kamil titled “Nazmon ka Mausam” is now available as “Seasons of Poetry” in India in Russian language. It has been translated by a scholar from Jawaharlal Nehru University Dr. Sonu Saini. Nobel laureate Mikhail Sholokhov’s “The Fate of a Man” is also out in Hindi. Sholokov won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1965. Among his most famous novels is “Quiet Flows the Don”.
Russian scholar Rashmi Giri, who spoke to “Fair Daily”, the daily newsletter published by NBT at the Fair, said that “There is a strong focus this time on teaching foreigners the Russian language’’. A Russian language and translation Olympiad for University Students from A1 to C2 in three levels was also on the anvil, she said.
Discussions on modern literature and dramaturgy in theatre, and a drawing contest “India-Russia through the eyes of Indian children” were also held at the pavilion. An interesting lecture on the traditions of talking cats in Russian literature put a smile on everyone’s face. Another striking lecture was on the images of birds in Russian poetry. A Russian dance competition for Indian children was held at the amphitheatre. Russian authors also discussed how a good book is born from conception to bestseller. They explored how a modern book hero differs from the hero of the literature of the past. A most unusual topic for a discussion was – the popularity and demand for Russian literature in the state of Punjab. And, there was a presentation on Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel, “Humiliated and Insulted” in Bengali.