New Delhi, Jan 10 (NationPress) The Union Minister of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, officially launched the New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF) 2026 on Saturday, describing it as a magnificent celebration of India’s rich and thriving reading culture.

Pradhan emphasized that the theme of the Fair, ‘Indian Military History: Valour and Wisdom@75’, alongside the involvement of nations like Qatar and Spain, greatly amplifies the importance of this cultural and literary gathering.

During the inauguration, Pradhan unveiled the book ‘The Saga of Kudopali: The Unsung Story of 1857’, which is available in multiple languages including Bangla, Asamiya, Punjabi, Malayalam, Urdu, and Marathi. A video presentation about the Saga of Kudopali was also showcased.

The Minister remarked that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has turned reading into a popular movement, asserting that the Prime Minister’s vision for a ‘Viksit Bharat’ extends beyond just infrastructure and technology. It is fundamentally about cultivating an informed, thoughtful, and knowledge-oriented generation that values knowledge as the cornerstone of nation-building.

He also congratulated the National Book Trust (NBT), India, and expressed his best wishes for the successful execution of the Book Fair.

Pradhan noted that the event is revitalizing the nation’s reading culture through literature and discussions.

Attendees included Abdulrahman Bin Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Al Thani, Minister of Culture from Qatar; Ernest Urtasun Domenech, Minister of Culture from Spain; Maria Jose Galvez, Director General of Books, Ministry of Culture, Spain; Vineet Joshi, Secretary of Higher Education; Milind Sudhakar Marathe, Chairman of NBT; Yuvraj Malik, Director of NBT; and other distinguished guests and senior officials from the Ministry.

The Union Minister declared that the NDWBF 2026, recognized as the largest B2C book fair globally, serves as a hub for ideas.

Ernest Urtasun Domenech highlighted Spain’s participation during the Spain–India Dual Year 2026, emphasizing that the Fair offers a significant platform to promote Spanish writers in India, where the interest in the Spanish language and literature is on the rise. He recalled the historical literary bond between Juan Ramon Jimenez and Rabindranath Tagore.

The Minister of Culture from Qatar remarked that his country’s involvement underscores the deep bilateral relations between the two nations, reaffirming the role of culture and knowledge in fostering people-to-people connections and nation-building.

The New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF) is hosted by the National Book Trust (NBT), India, under the Ministry of Education, taking place from January 10–18 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. Entry to this year’s fair is free for the first time.

The India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) co-organizes the NDWBF 2026. Over nine days, the fair will gather more than 1,000 publishers from over 35 countries, host over 600 events with more than 1,000 speakers, and is expected to draw over 2 million visitors.