New Delhi World Book Fair draws record crowd

New Delhi: Over 20 million people visited the World Book Fair which took place from January 10 to 18 this year. The footfall is the highest in the event's history.

The significant increase in visitors was because entry tickets were free this year. There were over 3,000 stalls with books and many related items in multiple languages. Over 1,000 publishers from 35 countries joined the fair, and many also speaking on the stage.

Halls No. 2 to 6 were occupied for the fair. There were also a lot of fun activities. Many brands and publishers participated -- like Oxford, Harper Collins, Bloomsbury, Rupa Publishers and Physics Walla. Each hall had a different genre and theme.

A 1,000 m² pavilion for India's military history, featuring books, documentaries, and replicas, was the theme pavilion of the book fair this year.

The children's hall was in Hall No. 6 and it included many activities like storytelling, quizzes, artwork shops, and interactive sessions on children's literature.

Over 50 countries participated; Spain was the focus country, and Qatar was the guest of honour. Over 600 events took place. The Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya gave over 6,000 free books to children. The World Book Fair was a great place to visit for all book lovers -- a walk in the paradise of books with friends and family. It will be a must-visit again next year.

Qatar's AI poem tool takes the cake

During the World Book Fair of India 2026, a very interesting machine helping one write poem with artificial intelligence was displayed at the Qatar Pavilion. About 1,000 people visited to see and use this special poem-creating AI machine.

The AI poem generator had a big touchscreen tablet on a table. On the screen, there were three language options —Hindi, English, and Arabic. The machine asked three simple questions, and based on the answers, it created a poem. On top of the tablet, another screen revealed a book in LED with words coming out of it, which looked very attractive.

This poem-making AI took was created by Qatar’s Ministry of Culture. Many visitors enjoyed using it and found it very creative.

"The machine tells us how to start and how to end a poem. It is a really good thing as an AI," said a visitor.

Overall, visiting the Qatar Poem AI was a wonderful experience. It is not something you can find in a normal bookstore or poetry shop. The only funny problem is that once you start using it, you never feel like stopping.

Tags : Artificial Intelligence, Qatar, New Delhi, World Book Fair