India has been a centre of knowledge since ages and it still holds a strong position in education field, with New Delhi in its center. Besides offering good educational opportunities, New Delhi also leads in book-reading, which is the favourite pastime of most Delhi people. Due to high readership, New Delhi is also regarded as the “Book Capital” of India.
Places where you can read
Any hobby can cultivate the best if provided the suitable environment and habit to read too needs the perfect atmosphere and material. The world of books is limitless and it is just impossible to have the whole range of them at one’s home.
In order to help booklovers, there are many public libraries in Delhi where you can go and read the book of your choice. For those who love Hindi literature, there are centers of Hindi Sahitya Academy in different areas of Delhi where you can go and read. British Library provides you a good range of books by Indian as well as international writers.
Once you get the membership of a library then you can enjoy good reading at the luxury of your home. Then you also find some shops that offer you an opportunity to read good books on depositing just a small amount as security.
Apart from this many offices also have developed their own library to provide good books to their employees.
Delhi Book Fair
Organized by the Indian Trade Promotion Organization, Delhi Book Fair is an annual fair held at Pragati Maidan. A large variety of books, magazines, computer software and other study materials on varied topics are exhibited at this huge annual book fair.
Though this annual book fair was earlier organized at Kolkata, Delhi Book Fair is better in many ways. Better organized at a more spacious location, the fair has collaboration with organizations like the National Book Trust and the HRD Ministry. Many stalls offer the opportunity to read books at the fair itself. Many people who do not want to purchase can be seen enjoying reading books at the stalls.
The World Book Fair
Held biannually at Pragati Maidan the World Book Fair is another huge event in New Delhi. The important part of this event is that it is world’s second largest book exhibition in which more than 23 nations participate.
Visit the fair once and you know why most Delhi people eagerly wait for this dreamy affair. With so many varieties of book-stalls, it is in fact not possible to visit the whole fair in just one or two days. Most book lovers daily visit the stalls to satisfy their thirst for books. They not only get to read good books but sometimes they also get to meet and interact with their favourite authors.
Weekly book market
While the book fairs are organized at the specific time schedule only, the book market at Dariyaganj is a weekly affair (Sunday). From text books and competitive books to the rarest literary collections, you all get here at the cheapest price. Visit it on any Sunday of the month, you find the same rush every time, with hundreds of people searching for the books of their choice.
Delhi as a hub of book-publishing industry
Delhi is home to many publishing units, including some foreign publishing companies too. India’s top book-publishing companies like Penguin, Rupa & Co, HarperCollins and Roli Books have their head-offices in New Delhi and Noida itself.
Thus besides being the political and fashion capital, New Delhi can rightly be called the literary capital of India. Moreover, if one city that can introduce to the real India, it has be New Delhi only. So get a good accommodation in a New Delhi hotel and visit this amazing city of India once!