A Grand Gathering of Readers: Visitors at Patna Book Fair 1996

Patna book fair visitors

1996 PATNA BOOK 📖 FAIR
01- 15 DECEMBER, 1996

Opening Ceremony: 01 December
Closing Ceremony: 14 December
(दोनों अवसर पर मुख्यमन्त्री लालू)

STALLS: 258

THEME: “Education for all Women by 2010”

[Patna Book 📚 Fair 1996 was held from Sunday, the 1st to Sunday 15th December 1996. It had been divided into six sectors. The magnificent designed entrance had been deducted to Dr Rajendra Prasad, while the sectors had been named after Aryabhatta, Vidyapati, Sir Sachidanand Sinha, Srikrishna Singh, Aarsi Prasad Singh and Karpoori Thakur with the lanes and bylanes named after Phanishwar Nath Renu, Shivpujan Sahay et cetera. Academic seminars were held every day at an auditorium named after JP between 11 am and 01 pm. The Administrative Block had been named after Dr Zakir Hussain]

    SUNDAY 01.12.1996

Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav, ex-CM was invited as the ‘Chief Patron’ of the educational festival. Mr Jiya Lal Arya (ex-Home Commissioner), Chairman of the Reception Committee welcomed all the guests. Patna Book 📚 Fair was Inaugurated on Sunday, 1st December 1996 by Dr AR Kidwai, the then Governor of Bihar while the then Chief Justice of Patna High Court Mr DP Wadhwa was the ‘Chief Guest’. The then Commercial Tax Minister, Mr Upendra Prasad Verma presides over the function while former Vice Chancellor of Patna University, Dr SNP Sinha was the ‘Main 🔊 Speaker’ of the theme “Education for all Women by 2010′. Prof Jabir Hussain, ex-Chairman of the Legislative Council was ‘Special Guest’ and Mr Jaya Prakash Yadav (ex-education minister), Mr Shyam Razak, ex- MLA, Dr Purnendu Narain Sinha, Mr RK Saxena, Chairman of NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) were ‘Special Invitees’. Dr Kidwai, inaugurating the event by lighting the traditional lamp, said that books are supposed to be a treasury of knowledge and there is no alternative to them for books. The Governor while stressing the importance of books said that if intellectual growth stagnates then there cannot be Progress since books are like food for the intellectuals.

VISITORS
01-15 DECEMBER 1996

*Mr Abhay Shekhar Prasad, Director: Postal Services, Patna
*Mr Uttam Kumar Singh
*Prof Amar Kumar Singh
*Mr Robin Shaw Pushp
*Mr Osmand Shaw Pushp (son of renowned story writer,Mr Robin Shaw Pushp)
*Prof Arun Kamal
*Mr RS Sharma, Historian (visited on Tuesday December 3)
*Ms Rajbala Verma, District Magistrate
*Prof Chetakar Jha
*Pandit Gobind Jha
*Mr Rabindra Nath Thakur
*Dr Mahendra Prasad Yadav
*Dr Mehta Nagendra Sinha (Geoscientist)
*Mr Prem Kumar Mani
*Prof Abhimanyu Pd Maurya

POETS( Poets’ Conference: December 3)

*Kumari Radha
*Mr Jawaharlal Bekas
*Mr Arun Kumar Gautam
*Mr Anand Kishore Shastri
*Mr Arun Bhojpuri
*Mr Dilip Kumar
*Mr Rameshwar Choudhary
*Mr Ram Vinay Singh Vinay
*Mr Chandraprakash Maya
*Mr Janardan Mishra Jalaj
*Mr Shivprasad Singh Lohani
*Mr Gourisgankar Singh
*Mr Brijkishore
*Mr Ram Das Arya
*Mr Arun Dokania
*Mr Avadhesh Kumar Sinha
*Mr Vishwanath Mishra Panchanand
*Mr Kundan Amitabh
*Mr Vinay Kumar Verma
*Mr Yogesh Kumar
*Mr Vijay Gunjan
*Mr Lalit Kumud
*Mr Krishna Singh
*Mr Karunesh
*Mr Vishudha and
*Mr Bhagwati Sharan Mishra (IAS)

Former Union Minister Dr Karan Singh (Saturday 7th December 1996 released the Souvenir cum Fair Directory of PBF 1996)

*Mr Inder Singh Namdhari, Ex-transport Minister
*Dr Bindeshwar Pathak (founder of Sulabh International)
*Mr AK Singh
*Prof Shailendra Kumar Jha
*Mrs Veena Jha
*Dr RN Prasad (Bihar Voluntary Health Association)
*Dr Surgude (World Health Organization)
*Prof Shaileshwar Sati Pd (HoD English, Science College)
*Mr Atul Mehta (Mechanical Engineer)
*Mr Nasir Kazami (Brilliant shair)
*Dr Arun Kumar Singh
*Mr RU Singh, IAS
*Dr Ramdhari Singh Diwakar (हिन्दी कथाकार)
*Mrs Latika Renu (फणीश्वर नाथ रेणु की पत्नी)
*Dr Usha Kiran Khan
*Prof (Mrs) Vimla Jha
*Mr Manishankar Thakur
*Mr Hrishikesh Sulabh
*Mr Amrendra Dubey (छायाकार)
*Mr Rajkishore
*Mr Gunakar Mule (Sunday 8 December: आकाश दर्शन, अन्तरिक्ष यात्रा…विज्ञान पुस्तकों के जाने-माने लेखक)
*Mr Vikas Kumar Jha, Journalist
*Robin Shaw Pushp
*Mr Sajjan Singh Thakur
*Mr Ramsharan Joshi (Writer)
*Acharya Nishantketu
*Mr Babulal Madhukar
*Mr Brajbhushan Sharma
*Mr Ramnaresh Tiwari
*Mr Ramdev Singh
*Mr Ramnath Choudhary
*Mr Izrail Haque
*Mr Ashok Kumar Jyoti
*Mr Kedar Nath Kaladhar
*Mr Satish Raj Pushkaran
*Dr Purnendu Narain Sinha
*Mr Augustine Velian (UNICEF)
*Mr Naren (कहानीकार)
*Dr Kanhaiya (NMCH उपाध्यक्ष)
*Mr Surendra Pd Sinha, IAS
*Mr Ashok Priyadarshi, Advocate, High Court
*Dr Niraj Singh
*Mr Subhash Sharma
*Mr Anant Kumar Singh (कथाकार)
*Mr Vijay Kumar (NSD के कलाकार)
*Prof Dr Nilam Nilkamal (लेखिका)
*Dr Ranjan Pd Yadav, MP
*Dr Omprakash Prasad

Narendra Kumar Jha

Narendra Kumar Jha, the founder of Patna Book Fair, is a passionate advocate of books, ideas and public discourse. At a time when large-scale literary platforms were rare in the region, he envisioned and established the Patna Book Fair—truly ahead of his time. With a Master’s degree in Sociology and a degree in Law, he combines intellectual depth with real-world insight. He is the Founding Editor of PLJR (Patna Law Journal Reports) and Chairman of Novelty & Company, a leading publishing house in Patna. Through his blogs, he shares reflections on the vision and journey of the Patna Book Fair. At 81, he remains strikingly energetic—guided by discipline, a simple yogi-like diet, and a level of fitness that could easily rival those much younger.