New Delhi, January 11, 2026: The winter chill did little to dampen enthusiasm of book lovers as crowds thronged the halls at Bharat Mandapam for the second day of the New Delhi World Book Fair 2026. The 53rd edition of the world’s biggest B2C book fair offered warm conversations, compelling ideas and the joy of books drawing thousands of Delhiites.
Filled with engaging dialogues, author interactions, book launches and cultural showcases across halls, Day 2 reinforced NDWBF’s spirit as a celebration of reading and ideas.
Union Education Minister Encourages Young Writers
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Minister of Education, had an interactive session with the selected 43 authors of PM YUVA 3.0 at Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya. The selected authors provided a brief overview about the subjects of their manuscripts for their upcoming books, under the mentorship scheme.
The Hon’ble Minister congratulated the selected authors and encouraged them to make full use of the 6-month mentorship scheme and produce books that would inspire the youth of India to read and write. He suggested that the access to research materials both physical and digital should be facilitated by NBT and directed selected authors should have access to the materials under the ‘One Nation-One Subscription’ (ONOS) initiative.
He further directed that the authors may be attached to the central universities of their area to provide institutional support for research and development of their manuscripts. On this occasion, Shri Vineet Joshi, Secretary, Higher Education, Shri Yuvraj Malik, Director, NBT-India, Dr Priyanka Mishra, CEO, Pradhanmantri Sanghralaya, Shri Kumar Vikram, Chief Editor & Joint Director, NBT-India and Shri Ravi K Mishra, Joint Director, Pradhanmantri Sanghralaya were present.
The selected 43 authors under PM YUVA 3.0 scheme are participating in the national camp organised on the occasion of the ongoing New Delhi World Book Fair 2026 (10-18 January) at Bharat Mandapam by the Ministry of Education with National Book Trust, India as the implementing agency. The New Delhi World Book Fair was inaugurated on January 10 by the Hon’ble Minister of Education.
Remembering Military Icons Sam Manekshaw and Sagat Singh
At the Themed Pavilion, highlighting “Indian Military History: Valour and Wisdom”, the day began with remembering two icons of the Indian Military – Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw & Lt Gen Sagat Singh in a session called “Sam and Sagat”. Lt. Gen. Ata Hasnain ( Retd) and Lt. Gen. Raj Shukla (Retd) examined the leadership, character and military legacy of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw and Lt Gen Sagat Singh, highlighting how their contrasting personalities and shared strategic vision shaped some of India’s most decisive military moments. The panel observed that in many ways the mentee outgrew the mentor, with Lt Gen Sagat Singh’s battlefield decisiveness sometimes surpassing even Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw’s guidance. The phrase “Nazrein aasmaan par, pair zameen par” aptly summed up both leaders, visionary yet firmly grounded.
This was followed by a session on the Military Culture of Punjab, which explored the region’s deep-rooted martial traditions, historical contributions and cultural ethos Several important publications were unveiled, including K.C. Tyagi’s Sankat ki Kheti and NBT’s When Branding Met Movies and Geopolitical Relations of the Princely State of Manipur with Neighbouring Regions. A special session, From Grammy to Green Mission, saw three-time Grammy winning composer Ricky Kej discuss the music, mindfulness and environmental consciousness in social transformation.
India-Japan Publishers’ Meet and Greet
The International Events/Foreign Pavilion explored the literature from Kazakhstan, Israel, Russia, Nepal and also featured a panel discussion on India and Indian in Gulf Drama. A highlight was the first-ever India-Japan Publishers’ Meet and Greet, where a 30-member delegation from Japan including authors, publishers and illustrators participated to A highlight was the first-ever India–Japan Publishers’ Meet and Greet, where a 30-member delegation from Japan including authors, publishers and illustrators explored collaboration opportunities to deepen literary and publishing ties between the two countries.
Inner Growth, Women’s Power and Motivation Take Spotlight
The Authors’ Corner hosted thought-provoking discussions today like ‘The Architect of Happiness: The Inner Work of Happy’ where Abha Sharma encouraged readers to move beyond inspiration towards conscious, everyday practice, highlighting self-awareness, Vedantic philosophy and balanced living. During ‘Badass Begums: Power, Purdah and the Women’ Who Ruled the Mughal World, lesser-known histories of Mughal women who exercised power through diplomacy, strategy, and influence beyond the throne were discussed. Another session ‘From Insight to Impact: Why Some Motivational Books Change Lives’ examined how lived experiences of midlife transitions, vulnerability, emotional pain, rejection and sadness explored through writing has helped authors form a deep connection with readers.
Book Launches at Lekhak Manch
At the Lekhak Manch today, the day opened with a cross-cultural discussion on the deep human connections between Indian and Mexican civilizations, where speakers highlighted striking similarities in traditions, family structures, rituals and collective memory despite vast geographical distance. This was followed by the launch of Happiness for Busy Professionals, which underscored the importance of inner balance and well-being amid modern professional pressures. A series of book launches included ‘Safal Chhatra Banne ka Rasta: Aatth Takneekein evam Rahasya’, ‘Bharat ke Pradhanmantri: Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee’, and Antarman ki Karvatein among others.
Stories, Puppets and Learning
The Children’s Pavilion buzzed with creative and interactive sessions, including puppet storytelling, visual storytelling workshops, folk dance performances, child authors’ interactions and a special training the trainers’ programme along with screenings of children’s films. Throughout the day, Kidz Express welcomed over 2,000 young readers and learners who enthusiastically participated in a wide range of engaging, fun-filled programmes. The morning began with an enchanting “Puppet Story Time” session by Ms Seema Wahi Mukherjee, who narrated an inspiring and motivational tale of a baby dragon overcoming self-doubt, negative self-talk, and pessimistic thinking through determination and confidence—emerging victorious with flying colours
Adding a musical highlight to the evening, a live performance by Grammy-winning composer Ricky Kej at the Amphitheatre, drew large audiences.
Readers, families, students, educators and book lovers are invited to visit the New Delhi World Book Fair 2026 at Bharat Mandapam from 10–18 January (free entry) to explore global literature, engage with authors and ideas and be part of India’s largest celebration of reading and knowledge.
Hall Highlights
Hall 2: Indian Languages Publishers & Lekhak Manch
Hall 3: Indian Language Publishers & New Delhi Rights Table
Hall 4: Guest of Honour Country, Focus Country & International Pavilion
Hall 5: Theme Pavilion, Authors’ Corner & General/Trade Publishers
Hall 6: Children’s Pavilion & Educational, Humanities and Spiritual Books
Amphitheatre-I: Cultural Programmes
