Lucknow Book Fair Day 4: Awadhi Flavours Add a Cultural Taste to a Literary Feast

Lucknow— Books, conversations and poetry blended with the irresistible aroma of traditional cuisine on the fourth day of the Lucknow Book Fair at Ravindralaya, creating a unique cultural experience for visitors. The fair, which has already emerged as a favourite destination for writers and book lovers in the city, offered not only literary engagements but also a delightful celebration of Awadhi culinary heritage.

Throughout the day, readers could be seen browsing through stalls, carefully selecting books across genres while engaging in animated discussions with fellow enthusiasts. The fairgrounds were abuzz with activity as literary events, book launches and poetry recitations continued to draw audiences.

At the Rohit Book stall, a diverse range of titles from Vani Prakashan attracted significant attention. Poetry collections by celebrated poets such as Nida Fazli, Rahat Indori, Dushyant Kumar, Jaun Elia, Gulzar, Bashir Badr and Ramdhari Singh Dinkar were popular among readers. Alongside these were thought-provoking works such as Main Hitler Ki Daasi Thi, Ramayan Ki Mahila Patra, Rashtravaad Banaam Deshbhakti, Vigyan Ka Gyaan: Artificial Intelligence, and Reetikaal Sexuality Ka Samaroh. The stall also featured several well-known novels that continued to attract steady interest.

Another attraction for visitors was the Book Globe stall, where titles like Achal Priyadarshi’s Brand Hemant, Dr Sitaram India’s Bhartiya Mahila Rajnitigya: Sangharsh se Safalta ka Safar, and Ramnagina Maurya’s Cartoon ka Khazana caught the attention of readers exploring contemporary and informative literature.

The literary stage began the day’s activities with a discussion and interactive session organised by Kavya Satat Sahitya Yatra in collaboration with Shardeya Prakashan. Writers and literary enthusiasts including Manorama Lal, Karuna Pandey, Alka Pramod, Manu Rai, Pawan Jain and Neha Agarwal “Neh” participated in the gathering. During the poetry reading session, poets such as Vipin Malihabadi, Mukesh Mishra, Swarika Kirti, Renu Chhabra, Deepa Srivastava, Ila Sharma, Shweta Srivastava, Nivedita Shri, Aparna Singh, Roli Saraswat and Indu Saraswat presented their works.

In the second session, attention turned to a discussion on Nivedita Shri’s book Dashmesh Pita Guru Gobind Singh Ji, where speakers including Meenu Khare, Rajwant Raj, Vinita Mishra and Ratna Kaul shared their perspectives. Writers Renu Chhabra, Alka Pramod and Jyotsna Singh also contributed to the engaging conversation.

The afternoon witnessed the release of Dr Amresh Mohan’s English book Physiotherapy of Life, focusing on health and well-being. The launch attracted readers interested in practical wellness literature.

Adding a distinct local flavour to the fair was the Awadhi Food Festival organised by Lok Angan with the support of Neelakshi Foundation, coordinated by Jyoti Kiran Ratan. Visitors relished traditional delicacies such as fare, noon-bari, gulgule and aloo kachalu, prepared and presented by Neelam Verma and Meenakshi Sahu. The culinary segment brought a nostalgic touch of Awadh’s rich food traditions, making the fair an experience for both the mind and the palate.

The evening concluded with a vibrant poetry gathering organised by Sundaram, where several distinguished poets were honoured. Among those felicitated were Brijendra Narayan Dwivedi “Shailesh” from Varanasi, Manish Srivastava “Badal” from Bhopal, Dr V M Khare, Dr Abhinav Gupta, Manju Saxena, Anil Yadav “Aniket” and Varsha Srivastava.

The poetry recitation session saw participation from Om Nirav, Dr Yogesh, Kripa Shankar Srivastava, Manmohan Barakoti, Harimohan Bajpai “Madhav”, Harshvardhan, Mamta Pankaj, Narendra Bhushan, Girishchandra Awasthi, Ravindranath Tiwari and Nirbhay Narayan Gupta, among others.

As the fair progresses, the Lucknow Book Fair continues to evolve into a lively cultural confluence — where literature meets dialogue, poetry meets performance, and the fragrance of books mingles with the flavours of Awadhi cuisine.