A large scale Sanskrit book-fair, the first by a government agency, is being organised in Varanasi in September. Aimed at discussing the importance and evolution of Sanskrit as a language, the fair will also have plays, poetry sessions, exhibitions and seminars to engage visitors.

The fair is being organised by the National Book Trust (NBT), which comes under the Ministry of Human Resource Development. It promotes reading by organising book fairs, seminars and discussions.

“The theme of the book fair will be Sanskrit, but it will also have books from other languages such as English and Hindi. NBT is looking at translations of Sanskrit works as well,” said an official in the ministry of HRD.

Some of the seminars will discuss how Sanskrit has helped in nation building, its evolution from Vedic age and how it is helping in the computer age.

The fair will be held for nine days, starting from September 9 in Varanasi, which is known as the culture capital of India. The city is also home to Banaras Hindu University, and is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency.

“The the venue of the fair is apt and hence we are expecting a good turnout,” the official said.

The book fair is in tune with the Central government’s plan of promoting Indian culture and placing emphasis on yoga and Sanskrit curriculum in schools and colleges.

Minister of Human Resource Development, Prakash Javadekar on Monday urged students to learn about their own culture first before learning about the cultures of other countries.

The minister also informed that the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) will soon release books focusing on Indian culture.

Push to culture

The book fair is organised in tune with the Central government’s plan of promoting Indian culture and placing emphasis on yoga and Sanskrit curriculum in schools and colleges.