The New Delhi World Book Fair 2025 (NDWBF) that concluded recently drew over two million visitors to the venue, Bharat Mandapam at the Pragati Maidan complex, where more than 2,000 publishers participated.

The nine-day annual literary extravaganza saw Emirati writers engaging in dialogues celebrating the richness of UAE heritage and the Middle East nation’s cross-cultural ties with other countries, particularly India. At a session organised as part of a cultural collaboration between India and Sharjah, Emirati authors highlighted the significance of the cultural synergies at play that facilitate a creative dialogue between India and the UAE, both immersed in history.

These events were specifically organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) and India’s National Book Trust (NBT), in collaboration with the Emirates Publishers Association (EPA).

At a session titled ‘Building Cultural Bridges Through Poetry Translation’, Poet Shihab Ghanem, Emirati engineer turned author, spoke in detail about how translated verse bridges civilizations, thereby deepening mutual understanding.

Another session, ‘Cinema Without Borders: A Cultural Dialogue Between the UAE and India’, featured a documentary screening and writer-director Nasser Ahmed Al Yaqoubi’s exposition on cinema being a medium for cultural exchange.

Author Mohsen Suleiman anchored ‘The Indian Character in Emirati Stories’, where the representation of Indian characters in Emirati fiction as a symbol of cultural diversity was examined.

The influence of Indian vocabulary on Emirati society was discussed at a session titled ‘Indian Vocabulary in Emirati Society’ by writer-storyteller Aisha al-Ghais, who traced the integration of the dialects across centuries.

The NDWBF is organized every year by the National Book Trust, India (under the Ministry of Education, Government of India). India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) was the co-organizer and venue partner of the fair this year. – editor@nrifocus.com