Rs 3 lakh biz at book fair

PATNA: Books worth Rs3 lakh were sold during the seven-day book fair which concluded here on Tuesday. The fair was organized by

National Book Trust

(NBT) at the planetarium to commemorate its 60 years of existence.

Sources said books in Hindi were in great demand as compared to those in English, Urdu, Magahi and Bhojpuri. “Over 3,000 buyers visited the book fair. There was a huge demand for children books,” organizers said.

A painting workshop was also organized on the theme of Champaran Satyagrah for children of the

National Institute of Open School

on Sunday. “We have shortlisted 61 entries by the ‘divyang’ schoolchildren. Their paintings will be compiled in a book format. It will be published in the coming few months,” said Kamal Ahmad, in-charge of NBT (Bihar chapter).

Ahmad said the NBT World Book Fair will be held in November to commemorate Shiksha Diwas.

Bhagwat Saran Jha, an employee of the income tax department said, “I bought 15 books worth Rs2,000 in the last three days. I keep a yearly budget of Rs10,000 to buy books. After reading, I distribute the books among my friends. We should distribute books as much as possible; otherwise they gather dust in the almirah.”

Leeds Asian School

students Shivani Singh, Tanu Upadhayay, Preeti Sanger and Bhawna Jha visited the book fair on the last day to enjoy their break from CBSE board exams.