Reading India Samvaad and Army Day Tributes Take Centre Stage at New Delhi World Book Fair 2026

नई दिल्ली विश्व पुस्तक मेला 2026 में छठे दिन रीडिंग इंडिया संवाद 2026 आयोजित किया गया, जिसमें पढ़ने की संस्कृति, पुस्तकालय विकास और राष्ट्रीय विरासत पर ध्यान केंद्रित किया गया। नेताओं ने शिक्षा नीति में पढ़ना शामिल करने, बहुभाषी पहुंच का विस्तार करने और पुस्तकालयों को गतिशील शिक्षण केंद्रों में बदलने के साथ-साथ सैन्य सेवा और भारत-ईरानी साहित्यिक संबंधों के स्मरणोत्सव पर चर्चा की।

*New Delhi, January 15, 2026:* Day 6 of the New Delhi World Book Fair 2026 witnessed a compelling blend ofintellectual dialogue, cultural exchange and national remembrance, asinitiatives promoting reading culture ran parallel with solemn tributes toIndia’s military legacy at Bharat Mandapam.

The *Reading India Samvaad 2026*, a two-day National Leadership Dialogue onReading and Libraries, commenced on Thursday alongside the book fair.Organised by the National Book Trust (NBT), India, under the Ministry ofEducation, the dialogue aims to strengthen India’s reading, library andknowledge-access ecosystem in alignment with the National Education Policy(NEP) 2020 and the vision of *Viksit Bharat@2047*.

The Samvaad was inaugurated by Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, Department ofSchool Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, in the presence ofRajshekhar Joshi, Vice Chairman, Setu Aayog, Government of Uttarakhand;Archana Sharma Awasthi, Additional Secretary, DoSE&L; Yuvraj Malik,Director, NBT; and Kumar Vikram, Chief Editor and Joint Director, NBT.

Emphasising the foundational role of reading in societal progress, YuvrajMalik recalled how historical leaders such as Alexander the Great,Chandragupta Maurya and Napoleon Bonaparte remained avid readers evenduring battles. Sanjay Kumar described reading as "the power to enteranother mind," calling for wider publication and readership in multipleIndian languages while urging citizens to envision India two decades intothe future. Archana Sharma Awasthi reflected on her childhood experiencesat the book fair and highlighted the role of parents in nurturing readinghabits. Rajshekhar Joshi advocated transforming libraries into dynamiclearning ecosystems supported by technology and personalised readingpathways.

The first day of the Samvaad featured two panel discussions—*Reimaginingthe Classroom: From Textbooks to Reading Culture* and *Libraries asLearning Hubs – Reclaiming Reading Spaces*. Speakers included Nikhil Tiwari(Director, Education, MCD), Danish Aziz (UNICEF India), Maulshree Kalothia(Tata Trusts), Shweta Bhutada (ASER Centre, Pratham), Pradeep Rai (IndianLibrary Association), Sunita Rattan (Amity University, Noida) and NeerajJain (Scholastic India).

At the Theme Pavilion, *Army Day* was commemorated throughthought-provoking sessions honouring courage, leadership and sacrifice. Aspecial panel paid tribute to Major Rama Raghoba Rane, the first livingrecipient of the Param Vir Chakra. Dr. D. V. Guruprasad traced Major Rane’sjourney from Karwar in Karnataka to becoming a decorated officer,highlighting values of discipline and perseverance. Lt. Col. AnnappaNarayan Shet recounted Major Rane’s extraordinary bravery during the1947–48 conflict, particularly his mine-clearing operations under heavyenemy fire that enabled Indian troops to advance.

Another panel on *Operation Vijay (Kargil War, 1999)* featured Lt. Gen.Mohindra Puri and Brig. Om Prakash Yadav in conversation with Colonel S. C.Tyagi. Lt. Gen. Puri shared experiences of taking command in theSrinagar–Shershahabad sector at short notice amid harsh terrain and weatherconditions, while Brig. Yadav discussed tactical planning, execution andmaintaining secure supply lines during the conflict.

The book *Mantra Viplav* by author Tarun Vijay was also launched during theday. Speaking at the event, Dattatreya Hosabale reflected on MaharshiAurobindo’s ideas, stressing the importance of preserving ancientknowledge, making it relevant to contemporary life, and continuouslygenerating new knowledge.

In the International Pavilion, a panel discussion on *ContemporaryLiterature and Shared Cultural Aspects of Iran and India* explored the deepintellectual and literary ties between the two civilizations. ScholarsMohammad Fatehali, Ghahreman Soleimani and Sayed Akhtar Husain Kazmidiscussed Persian’s historic role as a bridge between India and Iran,serving as a language of literature, administration and science. Therecognition of Persian as a classical language by the Government of Indiawas welcomed as a significant step towards preserving shared heritage. Thepanel also traced Indo-Iranian literary ties to the translation of the*Panchatantra* into Persian as *Kalila wa Dimna* in 517 AD.

Among the dignitaries who visited the fair on Thursday were Satya PalSingh, former Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development; MajGen (Dr) Bipin Bakshi; and Sudhanshu Trivedi, Rajya Sabha MP.

The *Children’s Pavilion* remained vibrant with storytelling sessions,Vedic Maths and science classes, a puppet show, a Child Authors’ Meet andscreenings of children’s films. At the Amphitheatre, audiences were treatedto Russian folk performances and an energetic set by folk-fusion band *Rahasya:The Project*, blending Indian folk, Sufi, devotional, ghazal and Bollywoodmusic.

With its mix of ideas, heritage and creative expression, Day 6 of the NewDelhi World Book Fair 2026 reaffirmed the event’s role as a nationalplatform celebrating knowledge, culture and collective memory.