LUCKNOW Stepping into the vibrant lawns of Lucknow University, visitors are enveloped by the enchanting ‘scent of literary treasure’ at the nine-day Gomti Book Festival. Books related to society, gender, caste, tribes and politics are among the top picks at the over 250 stalls here.
Visitors browse books on the third day of the Gomti Book Festival at Lucknow University on Monday. (Mushtaq Ali/HT Photo)
The reading material, published along with graphics and illustrations, is easier for youngsters to understand. At a stall set up by National Book Trust, one can also find short stories for children in Sanskrit, besides books curated especially around Kumbh, festivals, history of India and Uttar Pradesh.
Vishal Kumar, a representative of Mehta Book Company, shared that short stories written by American and Russian authors are also in demand. “Autobiographies and biographies of various prominent people, including Ravindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi, Kim Jung Youn and Hitler, are also among top picks,” he said.
Titles related to tribes & religion, art, culture, anthropology, society and economy are available at a stall set up by Indira Gandhi National Centre of Arts.
At a stall set up by Eklavya Foundation, one can find educational toys and tools that can help children develop fine motor skills. “From early counting tools to fine motor toys and India puzzles, we have several wooden toys painted with natural dyes, which are good for kids. We also have books on gender and development like ‘Beti Kare Sawaal’,” said Avnindra Singh, a representative of the foundation.
Classics in both Hindi and English continue to rule the shopping bags of people across age groups – from elderly to youth and teenagers. From books written by Premchand, ‘Nirala’ and Parsai to ones penned by George Eliot, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Dostoevsky, Franz Kafka and shayaris of Galib and Faraz Iqbal are available.
Neeraj Verma, a representative of Rajpal Publication, said books around shayaris are selling like hot cakes among youth. “Several readers are asking for books related to society, tribals, equality, justice and women rights, which shows the attention of people towards societal issues,” said Verma.