Minister for Water Resources Durai Murugan will inaugurate the 11-day Vellore book fair at Netaji Armed Reserve (AR) police grounds in Vellore at 10.30 a.m. on February 17.
As many as 780 stalls will display and sell books, both fiction and non-fiction, in Tamil and English till February 27 between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. on all days. There will be a 10% discount at all the stalls upon purchase.
Apart from local publishers, 70 members of the Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India (Bapasi) have also been allocated stalls. Non-members, who approached Bapasi, have also been accommodated. The prison department will have a stall where people can donate books to the library at the Central Prison.
Basic amenities like water, washrooms, seating arrangements, security, parking lots and health desks will be available. Safety standards of food courts and eateries inside the premises will be checked regularly. The entire fair will be monitored by CCTV cameras.
The fair will also have daily book releases and panels on books by popular Tamil orators. Literary events have been planned on all days to keep the visitors engaged. It will also have a series of competitions for school students, performance by folk artists, display of millets cultivated in Jawadhu Hills and puppetry shows.
