Matter of pride for France to be guest of honour at India's book fair: French envoy

New Delhi [India], February 25 (ANI): French Ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain on Saturday said that it is a matter of pride that France is the guest of honour at the World Book Fair, which kicked off on Saturday and will continue till March 5th.
"It's a great matter of pride that France is the guest of honour. Last year, we had the pleasure of having India in Paris as a guest of honour for the national book fair in front of the Eiffel tower and this year we are here with a French delegation", said the French envoy.
A delegation of French authors, led by Annie Ernaux, the French Nobel Laureate, was present at the fair in addition to many illustrators and publishers from France.
Sharing views on France being the Guest of Honour country, Emmanuel Lebrun-Damiens, Cultural Counsellor, Embassy of France in India earlier said that France is happy to be a part of the 50-year celebration of the New Delhi World Book Fair, and this is an important event for strengthening bilateral ties between France and India.
Last year, India was designated as the Guest of Honour Country at the Paris Book Festival. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan expressed satisfaction and said that India's participation as a guest of honour at the Paris Book Festival 2022 served as a platform to celebrate literary and linguistic diversity.
This year, coinciding with the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations and the Year of India's G20 Presidency, the New Delhi World Book Fair is one of the most awaited calendar events and is one of the world's largest book fairs.
The 9-day book fair will see many Indian and foreign publishers put up a vast collection of books at the new International Exhibition Centre in the centrally located Pragati Maidan in all its glory.
The Inauguration of the G20 Pavillion at the New Delhi World Book Fair 2023 was done by Rajkumar Ranjan Singh Minister of State for MEA and Education. (ANI)