New Delhi World Book Fair Makes Entry Free for First Time, Adds Military History Theme

On a hazy January morning in New Delhi, schoolchildren poured out of the Supreme Court metro station and streamed toward Bharat Mandapam, skipping a step familiar to multiple generations of readers: the ticket queue.

Inside the vast exhibition halls, between discount paperbacks and children’s comics, they quickly clustered around a life-size replica of an Arjun main battle tank. A little farther in, a model of the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant and a Tejas fighter jet anchored a 1,000-square-meter pavilion devoted entirely to Indian military history.

The twin shifts — a free gate and a heavily militarized theme — define the 53rd New Delhi World Book Fair, which opened Jan. 10 and runs through Jan. 18 at Bharat Mandapam in the Pragati Maidan complex. Organizers expect more than 2 million visitors over nine days, describing the event as the world’s largest business-to-consumer book fair.

First free entry since 1972

For the first time since the fair began in 1972, entry is free for all visitors. In previous years, adults paid 20 rupees (about 25 cents) and children 10 rupees, with students on educational trips, senior citizens and people with disabilities exempt.

“For the first time in the history of NBT, we are making entry to the fair absolutely free so that we can accommodate the maximum number of people from Delhi and around,” National Book Trust chairman Milind Sudhakar Marathe said ahead of the opening. “It shows the NBT’s commitment to make book reading accessible for all.”

Yuvraj Malik, director of the trust and fair director, said the decision was aimed squarely at younger visitors.

“We are starting the new year with books,” he said. “To expand the scope of the New Delhi World Book Fair even further and to invite Gen Z and connect them to the world of books, we made entry completely free. There are no charges for any activity within the book fair.”

The National Book Trust, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education, has organized the fair since its inception. The 2026 edition covers Halls 2 to 6 at Bharat Mandapam, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day, with more than 1,000 publishers from over 35 countries, roughly 3,000 stalls and more than 600 literary events involving around 1,000 speakers.

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated the fair on Jan. 10, calling it “the world’s largest B2C book fair” and “not just a marketplace of books but a grand celebration of India’s vibrant reading culture and exchange of ideas.”

A fair framed by “Valour and Wisdom @75”

This year’s official theme, “Indian Military History: Valour and Wisdom @75,” anchors that celebration. The theme pavilion, styled on the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun, offers what organizers describe as a 360-degree walk-through of 75 years of India’s post-independence military history.

“In keeping with the country’s long tradition of knowledge and reading, this year the book fair has adopted the theme ‘Indian Military History: Valour and Wisdom @75,’” Pradhan said in his inaugural address. “The theme reminds us of the values of courage and wisdom that are integral to nation-building. This exhibition is dedicated to the soldiers of the nation.”

Inside the pavilion, visitors move past portraits of Param Vir Chakra awardees, sculptures commemorating Kargil War heroes and timelines of operations from the 1947–48 conflict in Jammu and Kashmir to more recent missions. Shelves display more than 500 titles on wars, strategy and the armed forces, mixing biographies of commanders such as Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw and Gen. Bipin Rawat with operational histories and exam-preparation books for defense services.

Over the course of the fair, organizers have scheduled more than 100 theme-based events featuring retired generals, defence analysts and historians. Sessions cover major campaigns and the evolution of India’s Army, Navy and Air Force, often drawing groups of students and military enthusiasts.

Marathe framed the theme as a tribute aligned with national milestones.

“We have completed 75 years of Independence, and to salute the Indian armed forces, our theme … pays tribute to their contributions to nation building, defence and India’s unity,” he said.

The military focus builds on a recent run of state-led commemorative themes at the fair — including “Gandhi: The Writer’s Writer” in 2020 and “Republic@75” in 2025 — but goes further in its use of martial imagery. Replicas of weapon systems, uniformed ceremonial guards and operational maps sit at the center of what is formally a civilian cultural event.

Children’s programming, authors’ events and e-books

Beyond the theme pavilion, much of the fair’s traditional spread remains. A Children’s Pavilion offers storytelling sessions, theater, quizzes and a “Kids Express” zone with train-themed installations and a focus on children’s literature, including books on the freedom struggle. Multiple Authors’ Corners host book launches and conversations with writers across genres and languages.

The Sahitya Akademi, India’s national academy of letters, is running its own series of literary programs on the grounds, including readings and panel discussions.

Digital access is a visible part of the 2026 edition. Kiosks for Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya, a government-backed e-library platform, invite visitors to sign up for free access to more than 6,000 e-books in over 20 Indian languages. The platform is promoted as a digital public good, complementing the trust’s long-standing emphasis on low-cost print books and mobile book vans.

Qatar guest of honor, Spain focus nation

The fair’s reach is also international. Qatar is this year’s guest of honor country, with a dedicated pavilion and high-level delegation. Spain is the focus country, linking its presence to a Spain–India Dual Year of culture in 2026.

Describing the fair as “one of the most prominent cultural platforms in the world,” Qatar’s ambassador to India, Mohammed Hassan Jabir Al-Jaber, said at the inauguration that “India and Qatar are two ancient civilizations united by rich history and a legacy of diverse cultural heritage… a book is not merely a vessel of knowledge, but a powerful medium that fosters human understanding, transcending geographical, cultural and linguistic boundaries.”

Spain’s culture minister, Ernest Urtasun, said his country’s role as focus nation offered “a valuable opportunity to promote Spanish writers in India, where interest in Spanish language and literature continues to grow.”

Costs, crowds and what “free” means

The organizers have not publicly detailed how much revenue they are foregoing by eliminating ticket sales, or how that gap is being covered. In previous years, ticket prices were low but not negligible for lower-income families visiting in groups. With the gate now open, the cost of a visit is largely limited to transport and food, making the fair more accessible but likely increasing demands on security, sanitation and crowd management.

To support the larger crowds, authorities have added free shuttle buses between key metro stations and Bharat Mandapam, expanded medical facilities and deployed additional staff for crowd control, according to organizers.

For publishers, especially small and independent houses, the impact of free entry is still playing out. Higher footfall could mean more casual browsers and potential long-term readers, but the prominence of the military pavilion and officially curated exhibitions may also shape which books and genres draw the most attention during the nine-day event.

As dusk falls each evening, visitors leaving Bharat Mandapam carry plastic-wrapped stacks of exam guides, Hindi novels, children’s picture books and glossy volumes on India’s wars. The ticket booths that once screened them off from one of the city’s biggest cultural fixtures stand unused.

In a city marked by deep inequalities in access to education and culture, the 2026 New Delhi World Book Fair offers a snapshot of how public reading spaces are being reimagined — more open at the door, more tightly framed in their themes, and increasingly intertwined with both digital platforms and national narratives.