At the Maha Kumbh, millions of devotees are taking the holy dip at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj. Meanwhile, various exhibition pavilions at the fair are witnessing a continuous stream of literature, culture, and knowledge.

National Book Trust has taken an innovative step by setting up a Reading Lounge at the Mela, where devotees can read books for free and experience the literary joy of this grand fair of knowledge.

Read in Hindi: महाकुंभ में ‘रीडिंग लाउंज’ बना श्रद्धालुओं के आकर्षण का केंद्र

The Reading Lounge has been established inside the Namami Gange Pavilion in Sector 1, Parade Ground, and is becoming extremely popular among the devotees. This lounge offers 619 book titles, including literature based on Indian philosophy, Indian culture, and the Kumbh Mela.

Considering the interests of the devotees, books like ‘Kumbh Ke Mela Mein Mangalvasi’, ‘Bharat Mein Kumbh’, and ‘A Visit to Kumbh’ have been made available. In addition to Hindi and English, books in other languages are also available, so non-Hindi-speaking devotees can also take advantage of this facility. Specially, books written by young authors have been displayed, encouraging new writers.

Books based on India's culture are in high demand. As a result, cultural literature is given special prominence in this lounge. Non-Hindi-speaking devotees are particularly interested in books like ‘The Ganga’, ‘Veda Kalpataru’, and ‘Ancient Tamil Legend’ that are written about the Ganga River. Another feature of this lounge is that if any devotee likes a book, they can purchase it with a 25 per cent discount.

NBT has also arranged for a ‘NBT Pustak Parikrama’ i.e. Mobile Book Exhibition, at the Maha Kumbh, which is equipped with 1,150 book titles. A mobile book exhibition bus is being operated, where devotees can view and purchase books of their choice while walking around the Kumbh campus.

Additionally, information is being provided about the Ministry of Education's National E-Library, where devotees are being informed about how they can install the National E-Library app on their mobile phones and scan QR codes to access thousands of e-books.

The NBT Reading Lounge at the Mela is not only providing an enriching intellectual experience for devotees but is also creating a new stream of literature, culture, and digital knowledge. This initiative is bringing devotees closer to religious, spiritual, and contemporary literature, making the Maha Kumbh not just a centre of faith, but also an extraordinary confluence of knowledge, culture, and literature.