Over 40 firms take part in Book Fair

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Dec 15 : The 32nd edition of the Imphal Book Fair 2025 kicked off today at the State Central Library Complex, Keishampat with the participation of 43 firms, 30 local and 13 from beyond the State. The book fair will be held for 10 days.
Spread across approximately a hundred book stalls, the fair is jointly organised by the Manipur Library Association (MALA), several NGO-run public libraries and the State Central Library under the Department of Art & Culture.
The inaugural event was attended by H Gyan Prakash, Commissioner, Art & Culture as the chief guest; K Dinamani Singh, Director, Art & Culture as the functional president and Sunanda Thokchom, Deputy Secretary, Art & Culture as the guests of honour.
Addressing the gathering, the Art & Culture Commissioner stated that books are a treasure trove of knowledge.
The emergence of books significantly transformed human civilization, which previously relied on oral tradition of knowledge sharing.
Now, there are many ways to acquire knowledge such as the internet. However, they cannot replace books, maintained H Gyan Prakash.
Meanwhile, RK Urmila, Chief Librarian of State Central Library and convenor, Fair Committee noted that the Imphal Book Fair was first organised in 1991. The fair was not held in 1992, 2020 and 2021.
The Imphal Book Fair serves as a vibrant platform aimed at promoting literacy, nurturing self-directed learning, introducing new genres and authors and strengthening the publishing industry, said RK Urmila.
Saying that various genres of books and other educational items will be available at the fair, she informed that a 15% discount will be offered to buyers.
She added that book releases, interaction with librarians/writers/publishers, debates, spot painting competition, quiz competition and showcase of choreographic play will be conducted in the coming days.
As a part of the programme, the theme song of the Imphal Book Fair titled "Wakolpung" (video album) was also released. The song is composed by Mangangsana Mayanglambam (Laihui) and sung by Mangka Mayanglambam, Laihui and their team.