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21st Lahore International Book Fair kicked off
LAHORE, Feb 23 (Daily Times): The 21st Lahore International Book Fair kicked off at the Expo Centre in
Fortress Stadium on Thursday.
Thousands of books on history, literature,
criticism, fine arts, fiction, philosophy, psychology, religion, health and
fitness, medicine, sports, games, business studies and management, information
technology, tourism, and law are available at the book fair. Local and foreign
publishers, including ones from India, Singapore, Germany, the UK, and the US
have set up more than 225 stalls.
Hundreds of people, including students
from schools, colleges and universities attended the first day of the Lahore
International Book Fair at the Expo Centre. Apart from the bookstalls, the Rafi
Peer Theatre Group has arranged puppet shows for children. The Punjab Textbook
Board has also arranged a Children Mela. The British Council Lahore has a stall
at the fair as well.
Several people told Daily Times that the fair was a
wonderful opportunity for book lovers because they had access to thousands of
books on a wide range of topics under one roof.
Ali Institute of
Education's Nadia Shams said she had been visiting the fair since 2005 because
it was a great place for book lovers to find interesting books at reasonable
prices.
Rana Tanvir Qasim, a lecturer from the University of Engineering
and Technology, said the book fair was an important part of the literary events
of the city. Muhammad Iqbal, a stall owner at the fair, said the fair appeared
to promise greater attendance this year as compared to last year. He said the
number of publishers had also increased. More people are attending the fair
because of the variety of books offered, he added.
Fatima and Naurain
from Lahore Grammar School, Defence criticised the lack of Urdu-language books
on social issues at the fair. They, however, said that excellent resources were
available for students.
Raj Kumar from Kalyani Publishers New Delhi said
that he had been participating in the fair since 2005 because the response was
very encouraging. He also said the number of visitors, especially students, had
increased.
Malik Asad Aman from the National College of Business
Administration said that events like book fairs were great opportunities for
book lovers. He said the fair was particularly great for students. The book fair
should be advertised more to ensure maximum attendance of students, he added.
Aftab Ahmed, an accountant, said that he had come to the book fair with
his children to introduce them to the world of books. He said, "This fair will
encourage them to read books." He said people should come to the fair to avail
of the wealth of knowledge available.
Yawar Mushtaq from Punjab College
of Commerce said that the administration of schools, colleges and universities
should encourage reading habits in students by organising trips to the fair.
During the first day, a large number of students from the City School,
Lahore Grammar School, Divisional Public School, FC College University,
Government College University, the Punjab University and other educational
institutions visited the book fair.
The Lahore International Book Fair
will end on February 27 (Tuesday).
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