You see, I am a bookworm.
And I love only one thing more than reading books- shopping for books.
So when I got to know about the New Delhi World Book Fair, held at the Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, from 25th Feb to 5th Mar 2023, I couldn’t resist visiting the event.
This was my first time at such a great book fair, so I was quite mesmerized by the event.
There were multitudes of stalls, each occupied by a publisher to showcase their books.
You could see major publishing houses like HarperCollins, Bloomsbury, Penguin Random House, Jaico, Rupa, and Westland.
The moment you entered a stall, you would catch sight of thousands of books piled in the racks, placed on tables, and arranged on the floor.
From academic, fiction, self-help, biography, graphic novels, poetry, encyclopedia, cookbook, memoir, and classics, to children’s literature, you would find any book you can think of.
I was so fascinated to see the countless books my brain couldn’t process if it was real. It felt more like a fairyland with magical objects and creatures all around me.
I was discovering new titles, scanning the blurb, flipping pages, and sometimes taking it closer to my nose to sniff the scent emanating from the inside.
Since I have a special attachment to fiction and self-help, my face curved into a childish smile when I came across Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, A Song of Ice and Fire, books by Rick Riordan, or mystery novels by Agatha Christie.
You could also see an excited crowd browsing the books to choose the perfect ones. Apart from book lovers like me, there were students, teachers, writers, authors, librarians, researchers, academicians, and people who just came to hang out with their lovers.
Some were confused about which books to buy, some were absorbed in books with serious faces, some were standing impatiently in a queue near the billing counter, and some were carrying suitcases packed with books.
You see, I used to think the hobby of reading was rare. But when I saw a massive crowd after the books, I was quite surprised as well as pleased. I realized I was not alone, there were numerous people who had the same interest.
The event taught me that there are lakhs of books I haven’t read, and this boosted my love for reading.
And maybe because I wasn’t satisfied visiting the book fair once, I found myself at the same place again the next day. Just like that!
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