Thousands of avid readers flocked to the ongoing twelve-day book fair in Agartala that not only displays books of the state, but also provides a platform for an interaction between both readers and writers.
The Agartala Book Fair began from February 13 and ends today.
The fair was organised by The Information and Cultural Affairs (ICA) Department with the cooperation of the state's publishers.
The fair, inaugurated by Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, is hosting books in around 20 languages, including tribal and regional languages on diverse topics.
A stall owner, Bhandodweep, said the objective of the fair was to inculcate reading habits among the youth, and till now, the response has been good.
"This is my 15th book fair and the response has been good. There are a lot of acadamicians who visit the fair, and we have got many books, especially on North-East and Tripura printed here," said he.
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Book lovers consider the fair as a golden opportunity for getting a collection of books written by their favourite writers, which are rarely available in the city market.
Meanwhile, an enthusiastic book reader who visits this fair every year, Modhoshulk Bandhopadhya, said such fairs give a boost not only to well-known writers, but also to new authors.
"Book fairs are obviously a big thing for all areas, particularly for backward places like us. First and foremost it gives a big exposure to the new books that are coming out, and it also encourages new writers. This is one of the best platforms for interaction between the writers and the readers. I think many writers, especially from Tripura, have benefitted from this fair and in future years also, they will be having the same benefits," said Bandhopadhya.
Like previous years, this year also, the fair would be organising several cultural programmes, including a writers' conference.