The 19th iteration of the Nepal Book Fair kicked off on Friday at the Bhrikutimandap Exhibition Hall, Kathmandu. The event was inaugurated by CPN-UML chairperson Khadga Prasad Oli.

The opening ceremony of the fair saw the presence of celebrated poet Madhav Kumar Ghimire, historian Satya Mohan Joshi and litterateur Durga Lal Shrestha, who were feted by the crowd. Along with the book exhibition, the event will feature book launches, promote interactions between customers and book 

retailers and host meetings of 

intellectuals.

The 10-day-long fair is jointly organised by Global Exposition & Management Services (GEMS) and National Booksellers & Publisher Association of Nepal (NBPAN).

The fair boasts a total of 118 book stalls, 20 of which have been set up by international publishers. According to the organisers, the purpose of the event is to bring national and international publishers, bookstores and distributors together in order to encourage the reading culture and to promote the growth of the publishing sector in Nepal. 

The event is also a platform for booksellers to develop their networks and to work together with other businesses operating in the same sector and help the publishing fraternity grow as a whole.

Having been held for 19 years now, the fair has seen increasing participation by the publishers and readers with every new edition.

The fair will go on till August 29.