Amid worries of a social media onslaught stealing away people’s time and energies formerly reserved for books, the success of the 3-day Mela Ghadri Babeyan Da and soaring book sales at the fair has come as relief for book lovers. Thousands of books worth between Rs 18 lakh and Rs 20 lakh were sold at the fair. At least 40 to 50 new books were also released in 3 days.

The fair had 100 book stalls. While it is a not-to-be-missed opportunity for top Punjab publishers, it also hosted university publishing houses, Language Department stalls, publishers and sellers from Delhi, Haryana, UP and Uttarakhand. The mela doesn’t charge a single penny for anyone setting up a book stall. It is also credited with being the first Punjab fair which sparked a bustling book culture in the state.

The fair ha

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