PHOTOS: CM Devendra Fadnavis Inaugurates Pune Book Festival, Two Guinness World Records Done, Two More to Go | Anand Chaini
The Pune Book Festival, offering a diverse literary feast with 600 book stalls, cultural events, the Pune Children’s Film Festival, workshops for students, and a lit festival, was inaugurated on Saturday at 5:30 PM by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The National Book Trust (NBT) is hosting a festival at Ferguson College Ground from December 14 to 22. The event will feature more than 600 book stalls displaying works in various Indian languages, the launch of over 80 new books, as well as literary discussions, cultural performances, and workshops for schoolchildren. Additionally, the Pune Children’s Film Festival will be part of the event. The book stalls will be open daily from 10 AM to 10 PM, as confirmed by NBT trustee Rajesh Pande.
To celebrate the opening of the Pune Book Festival, five thousand college students from Pune and nearby areas took part in the ‘Gyansarita Granth Dindi,’ wearing traditional attire.
A key feature of this year’s event is the Lit Festival, set to take place from December 20 to 22. The festival will host over 25 sessions covering a wide range of topics, with participation from more than 60 authors, poets, journalists, and intellectuals. These sessions will be held at the Ferguson College amphitheatre and will be open to the public at no charge.
What does the fest offer?
From December 14 to 22, a series of free workshops will be held for school students, focusing on storytelling, painting, dance, music, and Vedic mathematics. These sessions will take place in both the morning and afternoon. Furthermore, the Pune Children’s Film Festival will run from December 14 to 18, offering children free admission to film screenings between 12 PM and 4 PM.
On Saturday, a Guinness World Record was set on the eve of the Pune Book Festival, with the creation of a Saraswati symbol using books. The world record was officially confirmed by Guinness World Records officials.
The event was attended by several dignitaries, including Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Council Dr. Neelam Gorhe, MLA Chitra Wagh, President of the National Book Trust Dr. Milind Marathe, President of Lokmanya Multipurpose Co-op Society Kiran Thakur, Pune Book Festival organizer Rajesh Pandey, Krishna Kumar Goyal, and organizing committee members Prasenjit Fadnavis, Bageshree Manthalkar, Dr. Anand Katikar, Adv. Mandar Joshi, Dr. Sanjay Chakne, and Guinness World Records official Praveen Patel. Books from Neelkanth Prakashan and the National Book Trust were used in the creation of the artwork.
Praveen Patel from Guinness World Records announced that the artwork met several criteria, including a minimum size of 1,000 square meters, the use of good-quality books, and the inclusion of five different colors, making it eligible for the world record.
Meanwhile, on the first day of the Pune Book Festival, Thursday, December 14, a world record was set for the ‘exhibition of the most books by a single author.’ This marked the second world record achieved at the festival. The announcement of a world record on the very first day sparked immense excitement among attendees.
Rajesh Pande remarked that the overwhelming response to the Pune Book Festival reflects the love Punekars have for books. This year’s festival, in addition to showcasing books, will feature literature, food, cultural events, and a children’s film festival. He expressed his joy in starting the festival with the Saraswati Yantra world record.
