Readers Buy 2.5 Million Books, Generating Over ₹40 Crore At Pune Book Festival, Setting A Historic Benchmark
Readers Buy 2.5 Million Books, Generating Over ₹40 Crore At Pune Book Festival, Setting A Historic Benchmark
Pune, December 24: The Pune Book Festival, launched to strengthen the culture of reading, has created history this year. More than 1 million visitors attended the event, purchasing 2.5 million books and resulting in a turnover exceeding ₹40 crore. This is four times the sales recorded last year.
The festival, organized by the National Book Trust (NBT) from December 14 to 22 at Fergusson College grounds, received an overwhelming response from Pune residents. Over 700 stalls across three halls saw record-breaking book sales. Accompanying events, including the Pune Children’s Film Festival, workshops for kids, cultural programs, and the Pune Lit Fest, also garnered enthusiastic participation, according to the chief organizer Rajesh Pandey.
Last year, 450,000 attendees generated ₹11 crore in book sales. This year, the event attracted more than 1 million people, including 50% youth and 25% children, with over 1.5 lakh school and college students participating. On social media, the festival reached over 10 million online viewers.
Four world records were set during the event, including a sculpture of the Indian Constitution’s cover made using 97,020 books to mark the 75th anniversary of the Constitution. Additionally, more than 100 books were launched, and over 1,000 authors participated in the event.
The newly introduced Literature Festival featured over 50 national and international dignitaries, hosting 35+ sessions that drew large crowds. Around 1.5 lakh books were also distributed as gifts to readers.
Rajesh Pandey concluded by stating that the success of the festival has paved the way for elevating it to international stature, aiming to establish Pune as the “City of Books.”
