The fair will also foreground literary heritage and cultural remembrance
Digital Desk: The Assam Book Fair in Guwahati is set to emerge as a major literary festival this year, marked by a strong national presence of publishers, an expanded programme calendar, and wide-ranging recognition for young writers.
Organised by the Publication Board Assam in collaboration with the All Assam Book Publishers and Sellers Association, the 14-day fair begins on 24th December and is being held at the Khanapara Veterinary College playground.
Publication Board Assam Secretary Pramod Kalita says the fair has been scheduled earlier than usual this year to facilitate preparations for Republic Day celebrations on 26th January . He also says that the period of the fair has been increased to 14 days this year as compared to 12 days last year due to the high level of participation, traffic and increased enthusiasm among the readers.
Up to 135 stalls are being established, with publishers all over the country. These contain 11 publishers based in Delhi and Haryana, 17 in Kolkata and one in each of Mumbai and Hyderabad as well as a dominant number of publishers in Assam.
The felicitation of 818 young writers is one of the premier events of this year edition and each will be given a prize of 25,000 in appreciation of their literary work. It is planned to hold a literary meeting of poets writing in Assamese, Bodo, Karbi, Mising, Nepali, and many other languages of India on 3rd January.
The fair will also foreground literary heritage and cultural remembrance. The main auditorium will be named after cultural icon Zubeen Garg, while two other auditoriums will honour veteran journalist Prafulla Govinda Baruah and eminent litterateur Basanta Kumar Bhattacharya.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will inaugurate the fair, while noted author Amish Tripathi will attend as a special guest. Education Minister Ranoj Pegu, the president of the Asam Sahitya Sabha, and several prominent literary figures will participate in various sessions.
The final day will be marked with renowned Odia author and Sahitya Akademi awardee Parmita Satpathy as well as senior writer Arup Kumar Dutta and Dr Amarjyoti Choudhury. Dipak Kumar Bokakoti will also be awarded the Assam Publication Board Sahitya Award on Aishwarjya.
The cash prize of the award is Rs 5 lakh, and the publisher, Bandhav Prakashan will get 2 lakh.
Kalita says the organisers continue to follow a book-only model, focusing on strengthening reading culture, giving Assamese literature a national platform, and fostering meaningful engagement between readers, writers, and publishers.
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