Just before the inauguration of the much awaited 42nd Agartala Book Fair at Hapania International Fair ground on Wednesday afternoon, the sudden torrential rain for about 30 minutes tried to spoil the colourful inauguration, but after rain stopped, the organizers resumed the inauguration programme.

After 30 minutes of bout, Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha inaugurated the 14-day long 42nd Agartala Book Fair at the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay stage accompanied by dignitaries and writers from Bangladesh and Tripura, inaugurated the 14-day long.

Soon after inauguration, cultural programmes and group-dances were performed by artist groups and enthralled the audiences gathered in the fair complex.

Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha, while addressing the gathering, emphasized the importance of giving books as gifts. “The feeling that comes from books cannot be found in any other medium. Therefore, the importance of books is immense even in the current technology era,” said Dr Saha.

The Chief Minister acknowledged that many things have changed with time, and the craze for books may have somewhat diminished due to advanced technology.

“Thanks to technology, books now flow effortlessly onto computer screens,” said Dr Saha, reflecting on the impact of technological advancements.

Recalling his childhood memories, the Chief Minister mentioned the excitement surrounding book publications and the long queues forming in front of Birchandra State Central Library to read new books.

Emphasizing the idea of giving more books as gifts, Dr Saha highlighted that such a practice would not only encourage publishers and writers but also speed up the habit of reading books.

Expressing hope that the book fair would inspire people to read more, the Chief Minister inaugurated the event where 191 stalls were opened. These included 110 stalls from Tripura, 66 stalls from West Bengal, 6 stalls from Assam, 2 stalls from Uttar Pradesh, and 2 stalls from Delhi. Additionally, 5 stalls came from Bangladesh.

Earlier, in the inauguration programme, the secretary of Information and Cultural Affairs (ICA) department Dr P K Chakraborty  said that  like previous years, discussions and seminars on various themes, cultural programmes and assembly of poets would be organized during fair days.

The Agartala book fair -- the second most important in eastern India after the Kolkata book fair, was started in 1981. Except for two years, it has been held annually.

The annual book fair has given a big boost to the local publishing business, with an average of 150 to 200 titles being published every year on the eve of the book fair. However, in a few years, the number of titles crossed 350.

During the fair, many awards will be given by the government to the eminent writers, poets and publishers.

In the inauguration programme, guests of honor at the event included Tripura Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker Ram Prasad Paul, Chief Whip Kalyani Saha Roy, Mayor of AMC Dipak Majumder and Arif Mohammad, Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Agartala.