Hyderabad Book Fair Draws Record 90,000 Visitors on Sunday
Hyderabad: Nearly 90,000 people visited the 37th Hyderabad Book Fair at NTR Stadium on Sunday, nearly double of the daily footfall, as people streamed in from the morning to browse through books and enjoy the cultural events over the weekend.
Book Fair Society president Dr Yakoob said the increase in visitors was mainly due to students and families attending the fair on a holiday.
At the Sadiq Ali stage, several books were launched, including ‘What is Ambedkarism?’, ‘Tirupati Balaji is a Buddhist Shrine’ and ‘The Future of Castes as Envisioned by Dr Ambedkar’. ‘Bodusu Telangana Stories – 2023’, edited by Sangishetty Srinivas and Veldandi Sridhar was launched by Kaluva Mallayya, who focused on preserving Telangana’s storytelling tradition.
One of the main attractions was the Telangana Balotsav at the Boi Vijaya Bharati stage. Painting competitions by Siri Art Swami and group dances by Anil Arts Academy entertained the audience. A special session, ‘Sheroes – Prominent Women’, conducted by Dr C.A. Prasad caught people’s attention.
Koumudi C., a BCom student and first-time visitor, said, “I usually read books online, but on my friends' suggestion I visited the fair. I loved the collection and bought ‘One Indian Girl’, ‘Stories We Never Tell’ and ‘Ikigai’.” Mamatha Naidu from Kukatpally explored the stalls and bought ‘Silent Peace’, ‘Illusion’s, and some fiction books. “I’ll definitely come back next year,” she told Deccan Chronicle.