Guwahati, Jan 8: The Assam Book Fair, Guwahati, which witnessed an encouraging turn out of book lovers, concluded on Tuesday in Guwahati.

The fair was jointly organised by Publication Board Assam and All Assam Publishers' and Book Sellers' Association at the College of Veterinary Science playground in the city.

According to the organisers, books worth around Rs 7 crore were sold during the course of the book fair.

This time, altogether 118 stalls of publishers took part in the event. A number of sessions ranging different topics related to fiction and non-fiction literary works, cinema, culture, history, etc., along with interaction sessions with noted personalities from the world of literature were organized as part of the event.

The book fair has witnessed footfall of nearly five lakh visitors from different walks of life in the last 12 days.

Member Secretary of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, Dr Sachchidanand Joshi, and Vice- Chancellor of Gauhati University, Dr Nani Gopal Mahanta, were present as the guests in the valedictory session of the book fair held this evening.

Addressing the gathering, Dr Sachchidanand Joshi praised the people of Assam for their overwhelming response to the book fair.

"Such a huge gathering and sale of a large number of books in the book fair is good news for the society. A book fair helps a society in strengthening the bonding among different com- munities," Dr Joshi said.

He congratulated the people of Assam for getting the classical status for Assamese language.

"Development of a mother tongue is crucial for the prosperity of a community. Mother tongue keeps us united," he said.

In his speech, Dr Mahanta said that books are the most trustworthy friends of people.

"Books have always been playing a crucial role in creating a healthy society. Through the habit of reading books, we can open up our minds. The Assam Book Fair is playing a vital role in starting an intellectual movement in the State. It has turned into an institution of Assam," he said.

The valedictory session was chaired by Vice-Chairman of the Publication Board Assam Sumanta Chaliha. In his speech, Chaliha noted that the book fair will develop the book reading environment in the society.

In his welcome speech, Secretary of Publication Board Assam Pramod Kalita explained the aims and objectives of the book fair. He extended his gratitude to everyone for making the event a grand success.

Awards of different competitions held as part of the book fair were also distributed on Tuesday.

By-

Staff Reporter