Kanpur Book Fair 2025: Day Two Shines with Children’s Day Festivities, Cultural Performances and Soaring Footfall

Kanpur: The second day of the Kanpur Book Fair 2025, held at Government Inter College, Chunni Ganj, turned into a vibrant celebration of literature, creativity and cultural harmony. Marking Children’s Day on November 14, the fairgrounds were filled with cheerful activities, enthusiastic participation and a growing crowd of visitors, as Kanpur embraced the festival with remarkable zeal.

From the morning hours, the fair witnessed a steady influx of book lovers. Students, parents, educators and avid readers thronged the stalls, browsing new titles, meeting authors and engaging in discussions. Organisers confirmed that the turnout had increased significantly compared to the opening day, signalling the fair’s rising popularity.

Children’s Day Brings Joy, Creativity and Inclusivity

The highlight of the day was a series of special Children’s Day programmes organised by Khwaahish Foundation, which brought together differently-abled children from Sankalp Special School and talented students from mainstream schools. These children presented colourful cultural performances that won applause from the audience.
The event was supported by Bharat Sankalp Sanstha and Just for Environment, further strengthening the spirit of inclusivity and social participation.

Several dignitaries, including Anita Agrawal, Dr. Deepti Tiwari, Shreegopal Tulsiyan, Bhagwant Anmol, Sunil Mangal, Rahul Pratap, Deepanjali Dubey, Kusum Singh and Alka Mishra, graced the occasion with their presence.

Adding a literary flavour to the celebrations, Sri Satya Sandesh, a Sankalp organisation, hosted a poetry meet. The session was conducted by the organisation’s president, Kusum Singh Chandel, while Vinod Tripathi chaired the programme. A new book was also released during the event.

Women Poets Bring Spotlight on Children

Under the banner of Shahar Samta Vichar Manch, a special poetry session featuring women poets was held. National convenor Seema Varnika curated the event, where poets presented compositions centred around children, resonating with the spirit of Bal Diwas.
Two books were formally released — Samsayanivritti: Atmajnane Gitopadesh, a Hindi doha translation based on the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, and Tasavvur, a ghazal collection.

All participating authors and poets were felicitated for their contribution to literature. The programme was skilfully hosted by Kanpur unit district president Shraddha Srivastava. Eminent literary figures including Kamlesh Shukla, Kankalata Gaur, Poonam Pandey, Sunita Gupta, Sushma Sengar, Alka Mishra, Rakhi Kulshreshth, Shailja Shukla, Archana Chauhan, Sushma Singh Urmi, Shipra Singh, Pushpa Singh, Harpreet Kaur, Seema Varnika and Shraddha Srivastava attended the event.

Popular folk singer Kavita Gupta, registered with the Culture Department and a recognised Doordarshan artist, enthralled the audience with her folk renditions.

Evening Resonates with Mushaira and Kavi Sammelan

As the evening unfolded, the fair transformed into a poetic retreat with a Kavi Sammelan and Mushaira organised by Utprerana Seva Samiti. Renowned poet Chandani Pandey curated and conducted the event.

Abha Dwivedi, Member of the Language Commission and Hindustani Academy, Uttar Pradesh Government, graced the occasion as the chief guest.
Among the distinguished guests were:

• Vishesh Srivastava, Hindi Officer, Ordnance Equipment Factory

• Manoj Dwivedi, Advocate

• Binay Kumar Mishra, Advocate

The poetic line-up featured an impressive roster of poets and writers, including Chandani Pandey, Alka Mishra, Shivansh Saral, Uma Vishwakarma, Anita Maurya, Suman Simran, Shivani Tripathi, Deepanjali Dubey, Anita Wala Tripathi, Mukesh Srivastava, Anurag Mishra Gair, Rahul Kashyap, Harshit Mishra, Asif Ahmed, Kumar Harsh, Shivansh Shukla Saral, Kartal Kishore, Prashant Dwivedi ‘Mridul’, Shubham Tiwari, Nikhil Tiwari, Amit Omar, Anshuman Dixit and Akshay Mishra.

Their diverse styles—ranging from lyrical poetry to social satire and romantic verses—kept the audience captivated until late evening.

A Vibrant Day for Readers and Art Lovers

Alongside the major events, the fair continued to offer a lively environment for children through storytelling competitions, poetry recitals, educational games and puzzle corners. Throughout the day, the fair resonated with laughter, conversations, music and the rustling of pages—reflecting the joy of a community coming together in the spirit of reading and creativity.

Line-up for November 15

The organisers have curated another engaging list of events for tomorrow:

• 12:30–1:30 PM: Singing

• 2:00–3:30 PM: Akhil Bhartiya Medha Vikas Parishad – Veena Uday

• 3:30–4:30 PM: Kavi Goshthi – Chandani Pandey

• 4:30–5:00 PM: Kavi Goshthi – Uma Vishwakarma

• 6:00–7:00 PM: Bhajan Sandhya – Geeta Singh

• 7:30–9:00 PM: Sufi Music – Saheb Smriti Foundation, Dr. Ira Mishra

Organisers Appeal for Public Participation

The organising committee encouraged the people of Kanpur to join the ongoing literary and cultural celebrations, support local talent and contribute to promoting the culture of reading. With more events lined up in the coming days, the Kanpur Book Fair 2025 continues to grow as a vibrant hub of ideas, creativity and community engagement.