Three-day Veeraloka book fair to start on June 26 at Glass House in Tumakuru

Arrangements have been made for the fifth edition of the three-day Veeraloka book fair, which will commence on June 26 at the Glass House near Amanikere in Tumakuru.

The event, organised in collaboration with the district administration and the District Kannada Sahitya Parishat, is expected to attract at least one lakh visitors and will feature over 150 authors from different parts of the state.

Senior litterateur Hampa Nagarajaiah will inaugurate the book fair at 10:00 am on Friday. Thinker Prof Baraguru Ramachandrappa is set to preside over the inaugural event, while Siddaganga Mutt president Siddalinga Swamiji will grace the occasion. Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara will also be present at the inauguration.

The fair will host over 60 book stalls arranged for book exhibitions and sales. Throughout the three days, 30 new books will be released. In addition to the book sales, the event will feature 15 major intellectual seminars addressing various topics concerning the Kannada language, literature, and society.

The seminars on the opening day will be chaired by several prominent writers and scholars, including H C Boralingaiah, L N Mukundaraj, Kannada Development Authority Chairman Purushottama Bilimale, T G Srinidhi, Dr Santosh Hanagal, G B Harish, Dr Siddaramaiah, and Dr Asha Bagganadu. These discussions will be followed by interactive sessions with the participants.

Key topics scheduled for the intellectual seminars include "Kannada publishing industry", "Linguistic identity in Kannada land", "Artificial Intelligence and the future of Kannada", "The Constitutional vision for language", "The importance of reading historical novels", "Book culture: Present and future", and "Women and society". Cultural programmes will also be held every evening during the fair.

Book fair coordinator R K Srinivas stated that the event aims to bring children closer to literacy and knowledge. He noted that the fair is designed to be more than just a venue for book sales, serving as a festival of Kannada that promotes intellectual awakening. A large number of book lovers, students, and the general public from across the state are expected to participate.