Delhi: World Book Fair 2026 begins with military history theme
The nine day book fair with the theme of “Indian Military History: Valour & Wisdom @75” focusing on Operation Sindoor became the main attraction, particularly for defence enthusiasts.
Readers from across the Delhi-NCR region hopped from one outlet to another and from one genre to another at the annual World Book Fair, which started at Bharat Mandapam on Saturday.
The New Delhi World Book Fair 2026 (NDWBF) was Launched by the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Apart from being the world’s largest B2C book fair, the NDWBF 2026 is a confluence of ideas and grand celebration of India’s robust and vibrant reading culture.
The minister said, “PM Modi’s vision of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ is not limited to infrastructure or technology, but is deeply rooted in building an aware, thoughtful and knowledge-driven generation that recognises knowledge as the foundation of nation-building”.
The nine day book fair with the theme of “Indian Military History: Valour & Wisdom @75” focusing on Operation Sindoor became the main attraction, particularly for defence enthusiasts. The hallsremained packed with readers from all age groups, writers, and publishers who came together to share their joy for reading.
Bharat Mandapam’s hall number 5, showcasing the defence themed pavilion, witnessed maximum footfall with a full display of books on the science and arts of war, India’s strategic relations with other countries, biographies of Indian Army leaders such as Sam Manekshaw and Bipin Rawat, the history of Indian military, major covert operations and wars, tales of India’s prestigious military schools and academic books on cracking defence-related competitive exams.
For 8-year-old Amogh Sapre, who came dressed up in an army jacket, magazines and books on wars, and military history were the most eye-catching things on the shelves.
“I want to become an army officer and for me the magazine on tanks, with pictures of the commander’s hatch, smoke launcher, gun mantlet and turret, and books on the history of wars are the most exciting things here,” said Sapre, who had come from the Delhi Cantonment area with his family.
In a nearby shop, 36-year-old Payal Goyal along with her 7-year-old daughter Shivanya Goyal, scanned through the shelves to find books on the lives of Indian leaders.
“I want to introduce my daughter to the concept of nationalism, and the best way to do that is through stories of national leaders. I bought one pictorial representation book for her on martyred military men which has images of those who lost their lives during the Kargil war,” said Goyal, a resident of North-west Delhi .
Apart from this, many came to the fair as a part of their annual routine with bags hanging on their shoulders, waiting to be filled with books.
“I started coming to the fair when online book buying wasn’t even a thing,” said 55-year-old Alok Sood. “There’s a certain joy in buying books from fairs like these, one gets to explore a wide range of subjects and it feels great to see the readers community coming together every year. Despite what age group or profession one belongs to here, the primary identity is that one is a reader,” said Sood, a resident of central Delhi.
The excitement isn’t just limited to the readers’ community. For writers and publishers, the annual book fair is a chance to meet the readers of their stories face-to-face. The fair offers an opportunity for writers and publishers to get one-on-one feedback.
For 18-year-old Devyani Shukla, who launched her first book, “Become What You Seek”, the journey from being a reader to writing a story is surreal.
“I have come here in the past as a reader, and this is the first time I have come here as an author, despite being a writer, I am at a loss of words to explain my feelings,” said Shukla, a philosophy student at the Delhi University’s Zakir Hussain college. “My best friend from school is the first buyer of my book.”
The book fair is organised by the Ministry of Education’s National Book Trust (NBT) in hall numbers 2-6 with free entry. The fair has over a thousand book stalls from publishers from 35 countries offering books authored by national and international writers in wide range of languages, including Indian vernaculars.
The New Delhi World Book Fair 2026, inaugurated by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, celebrates India's reading culture with the theme "Indian Military History: Valour & Wisdom @75." The nine-day event showcases over a thousand stalls from 35 countries, attracting diverse readers and writers. Organized by the National Book Trust, it emphasizes the significance of knowledge in nation-building.