AGARTALA, February 25 (TIWN): Thousands of avid readers flocked to the twelve-day book fair in Agartala that not only displays books of the state, but also provides a platform for an interaction between both readers and writers. The 12 day-long Agartala book fair ended on Tuesday night.

The fair was organised by the Information and Cultural Affairs (ICA) Department with the cooperation of the state publishers. According to the organisers books worth Rs 2 crore were sold in this year's book fair.

A total of 126 stalls were opened in the fair. 3 stalls from New Delhi, 42 stalls from Kolkata, 1 from Mumbai, 1 from Kerala, 4 from Guwahati, 1 from Bangladesh and 72 from Agartala participated in the fair, the organizers mentioned.

 Chief Minister Manik Sarkar inaugurated the 33rd Agartala book fair on February 13 at Umakanta Academy ground.

According to a member of organizing committee this year around 7 to 10 thousand people visited the fair each day.

Meanwhile, an enthusiastic book reader who visits this fair every year, Subrata Sarkar, said such fairs give a boost not only to well-known writers, but also to new authors.

"Book fairs are obviously a big thing for all areas, particularly for backward places like us. First and foremost it gives a big exposure to the new books that are coming out, and it also encourages new writers. This is one of the best platforms for interaction between the writers and the readers. I think many writers, especially from Tripura, have benefitted from this fair and in future years also, they will be having the same benefits," said Sarkar.