Guwahati: Crowds, culture and creativity define day 5 of Assam Book Fair

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Assam Book Fair in Guwahati witnessed a festive atmosphere on Sunday as large numbers of visitors gathered at the Khanapara Veterinary College playground on the fifth day of the event. Organized jointly by the Publication Board Assam and the All Assam Book Publishers and Sellers Association under the state government’s “Book Year” initiative, the fair drew enthusiastic participation from across the state.

Despite the winter chill, writers, readers, teachers, students and book lovers from Guwahati and other districts spent the day browsing stalls and attending programmes. The footfall increased steadily through the day, with the venue becoming particularly crowded by evening.

The day’s highlights included the celebration of Children’s Day, during which competitions in quiz, poetry recitation and extempore speech were organized, bringing colour and excitement to the fair. Renowned children’s author Bandita Phukan inaugurated the session and praised the organizers for creating opportunities to nurture young talent. She stressed that encouraging creativity and reading habits at an early age played a crucial role in shaping the future generation.

Addressing parents and teachers, Phukan emphasized that education should not be limited to examination performance alone. She urged guardians and educators to allow children the freedom to grow, explore their abilities and develop a lasting love for books without undue pressure. Various competitions saw enthusiastic participation from children across different age groups, with winners and consolation prize recipients announced in poetry recitation and extempore speech categories. The organizers stated that prizes would be formally distributed during the valedictory function scheduled for January 6.

Another major attraction of the day was a quiz programme conducted by well-known quizmaster Sailen Baishya at the temporary Zubeen Garg Memorial auditorium. The evening cultural segment titled ‘Monporosha’ further added to the festive spirit, featuring performances by educational institutions from different parts of the city. Organizers also reported encouraging book sales, particularly among students and literature enthusiasts.

Literary activities continued with the release of poet Purabi Chutia’s collection “Pani Juwalit Phuli Uthe Tejimola” at the Deka Publications stall. The book was unveiled by poet Saurav Saikia in the presence of literary figures, editors and critics. The collection comprised 83 poems and had been published by Rainsoft Advertising and Publishing.

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