Bibliophiles in town are in for a pre-festive treat with ne_bookfair all set to commence its first book fair from 17 to 22 November at Whispering Winds Hotel, Mokokchung.
ne_bookfair is an online bookstore that has been organizing book fairs across India since its inception in 2021 after the COVID lockdown. They are now focused on organizing book fairs in the Northeast, with Guwahati being their first in 2023, followed by Aizawl, Dimapur, Kohima and now Mokokchung.
Tarun Yadav, a former tuition teacher, along with his childhood friends whose shared passion for books and community engagement started the enterprise, said that their vision is to “bring the joy of reading physical books into everyday life.”
“Our books are affordable, so people should take advantage of it,” Tarun told MT. “We are also trying to spread awareness, especially among the students, to develop the habit of reading books as a means of escape from social media addiction.”
The fair will feature over 100,000 books across various genres, including used, pre-loved and new titles ranging from fiction, non-fiction and children’s books to bestsellers, literature, romance and everything in between. The books will be sold by the kilo, except for a few which will be priced separately.
Tarun further confirmed his team’s plans to return next year when asked about their expectations for the fair’s success. “We will focus on lacking areas, work harder and get better next time,” he said.