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Lucknow to Host 4th Gomti Book Festival – A Grand Celebration of Knowledge, Literature and Culture from 20–28 September 2025
Lucknow | 19 September, 2025: The historic city of Lucknow – long known for nurturing poets, scholars and artists – is preparing to become a vibrant confluence of ideas, creativity and culture as it will host the 4th Gomti Book Festival from 20–28 September 2025 (11:00 AM–8:00 PM daily, free entry) at the University of Lucknow.
Organised by the National Book Trust, India (Ministry of Education, Government of India) in collaboration with the Government of Uttar Pradesh and the University of Lucknow, the festival will be inaugurated on 20 September 2025 by Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Yogi Adityanath, in the presence of Shri Yogendra Upadhyay, Hon’ble Minister of Higher Education, Government of Uttar Pradesh; Shri Awanish K Awasthi, Advisor to Hon’ble Chief Minister; Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi, Padma Shri Awardee; Prof. Milind Sudhakar Marathe, Chairman, NBT-India; Prof. Manuka Khanna, Vice Chancellor, University of Lucknow; and Shri Yuvraj Malik, Director, NBT-India.
Addressing a press conference on 19 September at University of Lucknow, Mr. Yuvraj Malik, Director of NBT-India, Prof. Manuka Khanna, Vice Chancellor, University of Lucknow and Mayank Surolia, Deputy Director, Exhibitions, NBT-India, shared details about the upcoming festival.
Vice Chancellor Prof. Manuka Khanna, hailed the collaboration between National Book Trust and the University of Lucknow to host the Gomti Book Festival. “This collaboration has been possible through the joint efforts of the State and Central governments to promote the culture of reading. Under the guidance of the Honorable Governor, we are furthering the goals of “Padhe Lucknow, Badhe Lucknow” (Lucknow Reads, Lucknow Grows) and “Padhe Vishwavidyalaya, Badhe Vishwavidyalaya” (University Reads, University Grows). Gomti Book Festival has inspired us to organize more literature and book promotion events in collaboration with NBT in the near future,” she said.
Elaborating on the fourth edition of the festival, Mr. Yuvraj Malik, Director, National Book Trust, India, said, “Until now, the Gomti Book Festival was organised on the Riverfront, but the overwhelming support of Lucknow’s readers has made it grow into a grander, more expansive event. This fourth edition at the University of Lucknow will host more literary sessions, cultural performances and children’s activities than ever before. The 4th Gomti Book Festival is set to become the meeting point of art, culture and literature in Lucknow, and the National Book Trust, India, is working to make it the biggest book festival in the country, as envisioned by Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Yogi Adityanath.”
The festival aligns with the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of building a knowledge society and advancing the mission of “Make India Read” and reflects the goals of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which emphasises foundational literacy, multilingualism, creativity, critical thinking, and digital integration in learning.
Over nine days, more than 225 bookstalls will showcase thousands of titles in Hindi, English, Urdu and several Indian languages. In addition, visitors will be able to experience the Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya, India’s national digital library, which offers free access to over 3,000 e-books across genres and Indian languages—seamlessly blending traditional reading with digital discovery. Book lovers can enjoy special discounts of up to 10% on NBT titles by registering through the REP app.
The Children’s Pavilion will host a ‘Chitrotsav – Draw, Doodle, Discover’ creative art workshop along with musical storytelling, puppet shows, origami, poster-making, Vedic maths and mindfulness activities. In the afternoon, literary sessions with authors and experts will be held with notable speakers such as Dr. Arun Mohan Sherry, Director, IIT Lucknow; prominent writer Gulab Kothari; author, poet and actor Akhilendra Mishra; author Shantanu Gupta; novelist Sheela Rohekar; fiction writer Shivmurti; Santosh Chaubey, author and Chancellor of Rabindranath Tagore University; author and Padma Shri awardee Dr. Vidya Vindu Singh; Professor Surya Prasad Dixit of Lucknow University and notable Awadhi poet, writer and editor, Dr. Rambahadur Mishra among others. After 5 PM, cultural performances including folk singing, Kathak, Dastangoi, poetry recitations, mushaira, qawwali, and storytelling will be organised to highlight the literary and artistic heritage of Uttar Pradesh.
