NDWBF 2026 Opens, Pradhan Releases ‘Saga of Kudopali’ in 13 Languages
- Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated New Delhi World Book Fair 2026 at Bharat Mandapam
- ‘The Saga of Kudopali’ released in nine Indian languages and Spanish
- Qatar and Spain joined as special international participants
- Entry to the fair made free for the first time
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 10th Jan: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday inaugurated the New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF) 2026, calling it a national celebration of ideas, languages and India’s growing reading movement. The nine-day fair is being held at Bharat Mandapam from January 10 to 18.
The inauguration ceremony witnessed the presence of Qatar’s Minister of Culture H.E. Abdulrahman Bin Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Al Thani, Spain’s Minister of Culture H.E. Ernest Urtasun Domènech, senior officials of the Ministry of Education and National Book Trust (NBT), along with literary and cultural representatives from more than 35 countries.
On the occasion, Pradhan released the book The Saga of Kudopali: The Unsung Story of 1857 in nine Indian languages — Bengali, Assamese, Punjabi, Marathi, Malayalam, Urdu and others — along with Spanish, taking the total available languages to 13. The book honours the legacy of Veer Surendra Sai and the martyrs of Sambalpur who played a key role in India’s freedom struggle. A special documentary on the Saga of Kudopali was also screened.
Addressing the gathering, Pradhan described NDWBF 2026 as the world’s largest B2C book fair and a symbol of India’s vibrant reading culture. He said the theme “Indian Military History: Valour and Wisdom @75” reflects the nation’s respect for courage, sacrifice and wisdom, while participation of Qatar and Spain deepens India’s global cultural outreach.
The Union Minister credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for transforming reading into a people-driven movement, underlining that the vision of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ is rooted in creating a thoughtful and knowledge-oriented generation.
Spain’s Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun Domènech said the fair provides an important platform to strengthen literary ties between India and Spain during the Spain–India Dual Year 2026, recalling historic literary links between Rabindranath Tagore and Juan Ramón Jiménez. Qatar’s Culture Minister Abdulrahman Al Thani highlighted culture and knowledge as pillars of people-to-people ties.
Organised by NBT India under the Ministry of Education, with ITPO as co-organiser, NDWBF 2026 is hosting over 1,000 publishers from more than 35 countries, featuring 600+ events and 1,000+ speakers, and is expected to draw over two million visitors. For the first time, entry to the book fair has been made free.
The central attraction is the Theme Pavilion — “Indian Military History: Valour and Wisdom @75” — a 1,000 sq. metre immersive space showcasing 500+ books, military replicas including INS Vikrant, Arjun Tank and LCA Tejas, tributes to Param Vir Chakra awardees, and curated exhibits covering major military operations from 1947 to Operation Sindoor.
