Union Human Resource Development minister Prakash Javadekar inaugurated the 27th World Book Fair at Pragati Maidan, on Saturday. The nine-day-long book fair is being attended by almost 700 publishers from across the world.
This year's fair, Sharjah has been invited as the guest country. The inaugural event was also attended by chief guest Sheikh Fahim Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, executive chairman of the Department of Government Relations, Sharjah. Al Qasimi said that such occasions were important to "foster stronger cross-cultural" relations as an opportunity for "community-wide engagements on one platform".
The guest country pavilion will showcase publications in Arabic and English languages, in addition to panel discussions, publishers' dialogue, and children's activities.
The fair will also introduce Indian readers to the literary heritage of the UAE through 57 Arabic language pieces translated to Hindi. The book fair will come to a close on January 13.
"India is one of the UAE's longest standing partners and we continue to build upon this partnership on economic, scientific, educational and cultural fronts. We have a long-standing history of trade and cultural exchange that has lasted over hundreds of years," Qasimi said.
Speaking at the event Javadekar said, "The culture of reading should grow more in people as it teaches values like analytical thinking and develops respect for different opinions."
Organised by the National Book Trust and ITPO, this year's book fair has "Books for Readers with Special Needs" as its theme.
