Making up for lost time, people from the National Capital Region swarmed in large numbers on the last day of the Delhi Book Fair. It was a day of frenetic action, jostling, buying and bargaining.

Shakti Malik, director of the Delhi Book Fair, confirmed there were 3.5 to 4 lakh visitors and nearly 7 lakh book titles were sold — making this the biggest book fair in its 15-year history.

After a sluggish opening day, the number of visitors at the nine-day fair steadily increased. The organisers were helped by word-of-mouth and — Jaswant Singh. Malik admitted that the first day media frenzy around the expelled BJP leader helped draw a lot of attention. “Even our inauguration was sidelined as Jaswant Singh took away all the headlines,” said Malik. “However, our purpose was achieved.”

Ajay Mago from Om Books agreed. “We expected swine flu to reduce the turnout, but I have never seen this kind of response in 15 years,” he said.

“In terms of footfall, conversion and buyers, this has been unprecedented.”

“Also, in a World Book Fair year, fewer people visit the Delhi Book Fair,” admitted Mago.

The final day saw prices of books falling throughout the day. Most in demand were the stalls selling books at a fixed flat rate of Rs 100 or less. As the day headed towards a close, these stalls further slashed prices to Rs 50 to clear their stock.

Abhijit Pandey, a Delhi University student, was delighted to get his hands on hardbound classics such as War and Peace at throwaway prices. “The last day is always good for deals like this,” he said. “Even amid the frenzy, with a discerning eye, you can come back home with a satisfying haul.”

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