VIJAYAWADA: The Vijayawada Book Festival, a much-awaited annual celebration for literature lovers in Andhra Pradesh, is set to return as a New Year gift to readers.
Organised by the Vijayawada Book Festival Society, the 36th Vijayawada Book Festival will be held from January 2 to 12 at the Indira Gandhi Municipal Stadium, where elaborate arrangements have been completed.
The festival will be open to visitors daily from 2 pm to 9 pm, with free entry for all. The inaugural session of the book festival will take place on Friday at 6 pm at the “Dr BV Pattabhiram Sahitya Vedika.” The festival will be formally inaugurated with the lighting of the lamp by SC Justice Pamidighantam S Narasimha.
The inaugural function will be presided over by Kanumuru Raghurama Krishnam Raju, Deputy Speaker of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly, chief secretary K Vijayanand will attend as the chief guest and deliver the inaugural address.
The 11-day literary extravaganza will feature over 250 stalls, participation from more than 1,000 publishers, and display over five lakh books. Books on personality development, academics, spirituality, novels, short stories and other genres will be available in Telugu, English and various Indian languages.
This year, the premises have been named after Smt Vadlamudi Vimaladevi, while the Pratibha Vedika has been dedicated to renowned scientist Jayant Narlikar.
From January 3 onwards, the festival will host a wide range of activities including competitions for students, literary discussions by eminent writers, book releases and centenary celebrations of literary stalwarts.
Detailed schedules of competitions and literary programmes commencing from January 3 will be announced through daily intimations and releases. “With a rich blend of books, ideas and discussions, the Vijayawada Book Festival once again promises to be a vibrant cultural and literary hub for readers of all ages,” said secretary K Lakshmaiah.
Prominent personalities like K Narayana (national leader, CPI), K Ramachandra Murthy (senior editor), B Murali (Editorial Director, Sakshi), and Apsara Krishna Rao (senior journalist) will be present.