Lucknow: Self-help and non-fiction books were major attraction at the Gomti Book Festival organised by the National Book Trust this year, which concluded after nine days of festivities on Sunday. Youngsters and children were seen asking for their choice of books and clicking selfies on the last day of the festival.
Stalls were flocked by people selecting books of their choice on the last day of the festival. Most people were purchasing self-help books, written to provide strategies to solve personal problems, think positively, stay motivated and tackle anxiety issues, depression and low self-esteem. Some were buying non-fiction genres such as autobiographies of great men like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawahar Lal Nehru, Swami Vivekanand, Sri Aurobindo Ghosh, Barack Obama and BR Ambedkar.
Stall owner Shivam Nathani, said, "This year, a large number of people are buying self-help books such as ‘Ikigai' by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles, ‘Atomic Habits' by James Clear, and ‘Sapiens' and ‘Nexus' by Yuval Noah Harari." Meanwhile, another stall owner, Varchasva Mishra, said, "Along with self-help books, people are also opting for books with motivational quotes, especially asking for something that keeps them motivated and helps them think positively." Stall owner Kuldeep Thakur said, "In non-fiction, people are mostly buying autobiographies of great men such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawahar Lal Nehru, Swami Vivekanand, Sri Aurobindo Ghosh, Barack Obama, and B R Ambedkar. In other genres, fiction, children's fiction, and storybooks are also bought by customers."
Other highlights of the day were a session with athlete and paralympics champion Simran Sharma and a session with author Rajiv Gupta. As many as 150 stalls, including books, food items, and handicraft, were put up with along with books from about 1,000 publishers. Many workshops, sessions, cultural performances, and a children's film festival were also part of the festival.