Thousands of book stalls with over 200 titles on Indian cinema under one roof. The biennial World Book Fair gets bigger than ever with 2000 publishers from across the globe expected to participate in this edition. Kickstarting on February 25, the 9-day fair will centre on the theme '100 years of Indian cinema'.

IBNA: According to Times of India, in a first, countries like Iran, Malaysia and Afro-Asian countries are making their debut at the 20th edition of the fair. And this time, the organizers, National Book Trust of India (NBT) are going for an international look - ala the Beijing and Frankfurt book fairs.

The first edition of the World Book Fair was organized in 1972 with 200 publishers participating in an area of 7780 sq metres. Forty years on, the biennial fair has grown tremendously in terms of numbers.

"Apart from the mammoth collection of books and myriad publishers, the fair will witness an increase in the number of activities as compared to the previous editions. With at least two to three book releases daily, seminars, workshops and children's activities, book enthusiasts can look forward to a plethora of activities. European publishers - who participated only for business purposes on previous occasions - will sell popular titles through their agents this time," said NBT director, M A Sikandar.

The total area is expected to increase to 50,000 sq metres from that of 12,000 sq metres in the last edition. There will be a total of 2,000 stalls spread across seven pavilions and 300 independent stands.

Speaking about the theme, Sikandar said: "The fair is dedicated to 100 years of Indian cinema. We are planning to launch a special calendar on Indian cinema, primarily on books which have been converted to movies. It will be organized in collaboration with Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute".

Aiming to make the fair a one-stop platform for scholars, researchers and others, NBT, in consultation with the Planning Commission is mulling a separate pavilion dedicated to the publications of state and Central government departments. This is to highlight the developments made in their respective fields. The idea dates back to the Beijing Book Fair in which the Government of China showcased all its publications under one roof. The fair will be on till March 4, 2012.

Indian cinema is going to add glitz to the 20th edition of the biennial World Book Fair of Delhi in February 2012. With the theme '100 years of Indian cinema', the fair will not only showcase more than 200 titles on Indian cinema, it will also host an exclusive exhibition.

Moreover, the fair gets bigger than ever with nearly 2,000 publishers from across the globe expected to participate as compared to 1,234 in the previous fair. The focus countries will be Iran, and Afro-Asian countries making an entry in the fair. The organizers are also attempting an international look taking the Beijing and Frankfurt World Book fairs as inspiration.

The organizer National Book Trust of India (NBT) will also launch a collector's edition calendar on Indian cinema during the fair.

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