By IRNA
New Delhi : A nine day long “18th New Delhi World Book Fair 2008” began in New Delhi Saturday with the participation of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The second largest Book Fair in the world, inaugurated by K M Acharya, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Human Resource and Development, attended by 1200 publishers.
Apart from Indian publishing houses, participants from 23 countries including Iran have their stalls to showcase their publications.
The Book Fair provides both global and Indian players a platform for co-publication arrangements, cultural exchanges, presentations and trade promotions.
As the year 2008 has been declared the year of Russia in India, Russia is the guest of honour in the fair.
There is a special hall in which 80 publishers from Russia are displaying their latest publications and organizing panel discussions, literary programs and special activities for children.
Special publications on golden jubilee celebrations of NBT and the 60th death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi is one of the major attractions of the fair.
A special section of the exhibition will have audio recordings of Gandhi’s talks and addresses, documentaries and film clippings.
National Book Trust, India, an autonomous body of Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, owes its birth to independent India’s first prime minister, the late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
The NBT, India established in 1957 for the promotion of books and to inculcate book culture in India, organizes book fairs, festivals at local, regional and national levels and a biennial New Delhi World Book Fair at international level.