UPSC Preparation and Merit-Scoring Books Draw Young Readers at Lucknow National Book Fair

Lucknow: Books on competitive examinations, civil services preparation and strategies for academic success attracted young readers on the seventh day of the 23rd National Book Fair at Balrampur Garden on Ashok Marg in Lucknow on Wednesday. The fair will continue until October 11.

From UPSC and state civil services examinations to entrance tests and recruitment assessments, a wide range of study material in Hindi and English is available at discounted prices, catering to students and aspiring candidates.

At the Upkar Prakashan stall, visitors explored books for UPSC, state civil services, CSAT, NET-JRF and other competitive examinations, alongside Pratiyogita Darpan magazine. The collection also includes NCERT-based objective question banks, current affairs, general knowledge and reasoning books, as well as learning resources for school students.

The Prabhat stall attracted attention with titles such as Aao Karein UPSC Crack, Pariksha Mein Merit Kaise Paayen and IIT Mein Pravesh Kaise. Other stalls, including Rajpal, Yashika, Aryan Book and Padma Book, offered motivational literature and student-oriented reading material.

Beyond its book stalls, the fair hosted a series of literary and cultural programmes. At the Creator Lounge, Dr Uday Pratap Singh presented selected works and interacted with admirers. Speaking about recognition and awards, he said the honour itself mattered more than the monetary reward, adding that he had used more than half of the prize money he received to help people in need.

The Uttar Pradesh Sahitya Sabha organised Chheentakashi-2026, a satire session coordinated by Pankaj Prasoon. Dr K. Kant Asthana, Mukul Mahan, Sarvesh Asthana, Sanjeev Jaiswal Sanjay, Alankar Rastogi and Parvesh Jain presented humorous and satirical compositions.

The main stage hosted a poetry gathering organised by the Lucknow chapter of the Akhil Bharatiya Sahitya Parishad, chaired by Nirbhay Narayan Gupta and conducted by Mamta Pankaj. The event also witnessed the release of Payal Lakshmi Soni’s poetry collection Silvatein. Narendra Bhushan attended as the chief guest, while several poets and writers presented their works on subjects ranging from Partition and the environment to family relationships and historical personalities.

A discussion titled Gandhi, Bose, Bhagat, Vivekananda: Our Guiding Lights, organised by the Vasundhara Foundation under the coordination of Rakesh Srivastava, brought together Padma Shri awardee Vidya Vindu Singh, Akhilesh Srivastava Chaman, satirist Mukul Mahan, Indian Bank Assistant General Manager Navneet Kumar, Pankaj Prasoon and senior journalist Sudhir Mishra.

The foundation also honoured scientist and actor Dr Anil Rastogi with the Vasundhara Samman and felicitated students who had won essay competitions organised in various schools.

Another highlight was the release of Spark, a short-story collection by Dr Shilpi Bakshi Shukla, by Aparna Yadav, vice-chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh State Commission for Women. Praising the collection, Yadav encouraged the younger generation to read newspapers and books to expand their knowledge. The author also read two of her stories.

The fair additionally celebrated young literary talent with the release of The Light Flickered, an English suspense-thriller story collection written by 16-year-old Class XII student Kartikeya Chandra. The book was released by author Mahendra Agarwal.

With its combination of competitive-examination resources, book launches, poetry, satire and discussions, the National Book Fair continued to offer students and literature enthusiasts opportunities for learning and cultural engagement.