Mumbai: The annual Urdu book fair, popularly known as Urdu kitab mela, will hold its 26th event at the R2 ground, Bandra-Kurla Complex between January 6 and 14. Organised by the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL), the event is being held with the collaboration of Anjuman-I-Islam, one of the largest educational institutions run by the Muslim community in Mumbai.
The fair will be inaugurated by Sahitya Akademi secretary Dr K S Rao. It will feature 185 stalls with more than 1,50,000 books at 10 per cent discount. The NCPUL had organised the 25th edition of Urdu Kitab Mela in Vaniyambadi, Tamil Nadu, in January 2023 whereas the 24th edition was held in Malegaon in December 2021.
Mumbai and Malegaon are two cities where the book fair has been held more than once. Malegaon had hosted the fair in 2014 while Mumbai was the venue in 2009 and 2012 when the fair was organised at the Anjuman-I-Islam's Saboo Siddique polytechnic ground in Byculla.
The nine-day-long fair will also feature cultural events held in coordination with Anjuman-I-Islam and other groups like Gul Bootey, Urdu Karwan, Urdu Headmasters’ Association, Pasban-e-Adab, Awami Idara, Urdu Gagan, Quiz Time and Kaawish Mumbai.
