Book fair opens in Tiruchi

The annual book fair organised by the district administration and the Directorate of Public Libraries in association with Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India (BAPASI) is under way in Tiruchi.

Municipal Administration Minister K. N. Nehru, Minister for School Education Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, Collector V. Saravanan and senior officials inaugurated the fair and inspected the various stalls on Friday.

About 130 stalls, featuring over 100 publishers, have been set up at the fair on St. John’s Vestry School premises until February 22.

Speaking on the occasion, the School Education Minister said, “Parents and students should take advantage of the wide variety of books available at the fair to improve their knowledge. Earlier, book fairs used to be common only in big cities such as Chennai. However, under Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s direction, they are now being held regularly in every district of Tamil Nadu since 2021. Reading books can help to wean children away from digital device addiction.”

Cultural programmes by school students and special talks by invited literary personalities will also form part of the event line-up during the fair.