Literary treats galore as book fair opens

Lucknow: The 10-day national book at Balrampur Garden was inaugurated on Thursday by governor Anandiben Patel. It has 120 stalls of books, stationery and accessories.The governor visited different stalls, purchased books and interacted with sellers and spoke about importance of books and habit of reading. She bought books on stories from Bhagwad, Mahabharat, Ramayan and Swami Vivekanand's ‘Mera Bharat Amar Bharat'.Books available include fiction, non-fiction, history, mythology, realism, self help, crime, thriller, romance, horror, autobiographies and biographies.Youngsters picked non-fiction books titled ‘Homo Sapiens' and ‘Ikigai' and more, while kids escorted by parents bought fairytales by Enid Blyton and other books like ‘Adventures of Dora' and ‘Barbie Tales'.Shamita Banerjee (23) and her friend Vartika Chauhan (23) purchased two copies of ‘Why I am A Hindu'. "We have been reading fiction, history and thrillers since childhood and now we want to explore a new genre", said Vartika. Ajitesh Sidhwani (25) browsing in the reading corner, said, "I purchased self help book ‘Ikigai' to motivate myself and to gain positivity".Girls visiting in groups clicked selfies and made reels. Sisters Ritika (24) and Geetika Mehra (26) said we bought self-help books for our mental well-being, practical advice and positivity".Saumitra Gupta (11) said, "I bought ‘Chronicles of Narnia' and ‘Harry Potter' for me and my sister." Another Anaya Kaur (6) said, "I have purchased a coloring book and sketch pens while her brother Rohan purchased Wizard of Oz and Ruskin Bond's ‘The Cherry Tree'. The fair has a food court too, serving snacks and beverages.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Teacher's Day wishes, messages and Quotes !