Latest news with #NagaiReads
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Fourth district book festival in Nagapattinam draws over 3.5 lakh visitors
The fourth edition of the Nagapattinam District Book Festival witnessed enthusiastic participation from around 3.5 lakh visitors, with book sales crossing ₹1.3 crore, Collector P. Akash said on Wednesday. In a statement, he said the festival, held under the banner 'Nagai Reads', featured over 105 book stalls representing more than 100 publishers from various regions. A wide range of books in Tamil, English, and other languages were on display. To incentivise readership, books priced between ₹10 and ₹1,000 were sold at a 10% discount, while purchases above ₹1,000 earned customers gifts on a tiered basis. Beyond literature, the festival hosted several cultural and educational exhibitions for public engagement. They included displays of traditional musical instruments, over several hundred varieties of paddy in an agricultural showcase, vintage amusement exhibits, Ponni painting gallery, mobile science exhibition vehicle, live art workshops, terracotta sculpting areas, and planetarium setup. Daily programmes also featured performances by school and college students, literary discussions by Tamil scholars, and poetry sessions, offering a vibrant mix of knowledge and entertainment. Certificates of appreciation, trophies, and accolades were presented to volunteers, exhibition organisers, and staff who contributed to the festival's success.
The Hindu
30-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Nagai gears up for 4th book festival with district-wide reading campaign
In the run-up to the 4th Nagapattinam Book Festival, scheduled from August 1 to 11, the district administration has launched a series of initiatives to ignite enthusiasm for books and reading, reaching students, teachers, and the general public alike. On Wednesday, a district-wide event titled 'Nagai Vaasikkirathu' (Nagai Reads) was organised across all 446 government-run primary, middle, high, and higher secondary schools in the district. Over 51,000 students participated by reading library books during the dedicated reading hour between 11 a.m. and 12 noon. Teachers and government officials also joined in, reinforcing the collective spirit of the initiative. Before this campaign, a digital contest titled 'Padithathil Pidithathu' (What I Liked From What I Read) was conducted which encouraged students to record and share short videos discussing their favourite books. A district official said the response to the campaign was overwhelming—more than 800 video entries have been received so far. Gift coupons will be awarded to select participants based on the quality and creativity of their entries. In a creative twist, two autorickshaws with the book fair's logo and compact bookshelves have been circulating across the district, spreading awareness while performing their regular duties. The upcoming 11-day book festival promises to be a vibrant celebration of literature, culture, and creativity. Highlights include a mini planetarium, vintage car display, public-contributed Nagai Lifestyle photo exhibition, painting and art exhibitions, live performances, traditional paddy seed displays, and workshops on folk music and traditional instruments. A diverse lineup of literary voices and thinkers will be present, including Bava Chelladurai, Imayam, Manushyaputhiran, Bharathi Krishnakumar, Sugirtharani, R. Kamarasu, Grace Banu, R. Kalaikkovan, Gopinath, and Therukkural Arivu. The festival will also host popular film personalities such as Aparna Das, Aishwarya Rajesh, Mirnalini Ravi, Devayani, Priya Anand, Mirchi Shiva, and Rio Raj, among others, drawing wider attention to the event. 'Through these efforts, we hope to bring the general public closer to the joy of reading,' said a school teacher from the book fair organising team from the district administration.
