From Marx to Kafka, new titles draw crowds at National Book Fair

Lucknow. The third day of the National Book Fair at Balrampur Garden on Ashok Marg drew not just older readers but also big groups of young people, who crowded the stalls throughout the day.

Held under the theme "Vande Mataram," the fair has several fresh releases getting attention. At the Setu Prakashan stall, among the titles released over the past three months, visitors are talking about the third edition of Yogendra Yadav's Ganarajya Ka Swadharm and the Hindi translation of Mary Gabriel's Love and Capital, which traces the turbulent life and revolutionary journey of Karl Marx. Other new arrivals there include Mamta Kalia's memoir Sheshkatha, Rajiv Kumar's Jahanara Padshahi Begum, and Raju Sharma's Hindi translation of Franz Kafka's celebrated novel The Trial.

Vani Prakashan's stall features Arjun Pandey's Azad: Kahani Kranti Ke Commander Ki, Abhay Kumar Dubey's Upniveshvad Ka Alaukik Samrajya, Anagat Gandhi by Ambikadutt Sharma and Vishwanath Mishra, and Venktesh Devanpally's Rajadhiraj Shri Krishnadevaraya. It also showcases Swatantrya Aur Samvardhan by Balaram Shukla, part of its Unmochan Granthamala series on Indian knowledge traditions. At Bodhras Prakashan, Animesh Tripathi's Consciousness 2.0, a book on artificial intelligence, is a new release.

On the main stage in the evening, at an event organised by Navonmesh, Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak released Radio Past and Present, the English edition of Santosh Valmiki's Radio Kal Aur Aaj. This was followed by a screening of his documentary Radio Ka Safarnama. A panel discussion titled "Media: The Question of Trust" brought together MLC Lalji Prasad Nirmal; Bainath Bansfor from Assam; Dr. Satish Grover, former Deputy Director General of Doordarshan; radio artist Rajjan Lal; Doordarshan Programme Head Atma Prakash Mishra; senior journalists Brijesh Shukla, Rama Arun and Arshana; and RJ Prateek, all of whom shared their views.

Later, an evening of ghazals, organised by Sahityakar Sansad and Naman Prakashan and dedicated to Ram Prakash Bekhud, saw Kripashankar Vishwas, Saralta Jamal, Badr Gorakhpuri, Rachna Mishra and Naveen Shukla Naveen recite their ghazals alongside him.

Earlier, on the 46th foundation day of Yuva Rachnakar Manch, writer Rajendra Verma was presented with the Mukut Bihari Saroj Samman in the presence of Mridul Sharma, Danda Lakhnavi, Sunil Kumar Bajpai and Naveen Awara. In the morning, eight books, including Dr. Rashmi Srivastava's Postbox, were released under the chairmanship of Prof. Surendra Vikram. This was followed by the launch of Jai Prakash Agarwal's English book Internal Teacher, coordinated by Arthur's Adda.

The second stage also hosted book launches, along with a Kavi Sammelan organised by Sahitya Sabha.

Entry to the fair is free, and it is open daily from 11 am to 9 pm. Every book purchased carries a discount of at least 10 per cent.

The fair is organised by Force One, with UP Metro, Radio City, Origins, Kiran Foundation, Join Hands Foundation, Lokangan, Vishwam Foundation, Vijay Studio, Golden Grass and Kavita Kisse Kahaniyan as associate organisations.