Come November, all roads will lead to Sharjah Expo Centre. I have read in your newspaper that Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) is all set to roll its red carpet from Nov.1. This is terrific news for all those who love to read and write.  I have been attending SIBF since 2007. I am an ardent fan of it. I visit the book fair with my little daughter almost daily. I am very excited to learn that this year I will get to meet authors like Wole Soyinka and Mohsin Hamid, even I will get to hear American astronaut Sunita Williams for the first time in my life.

I have been following her space journey since my college days, even I watch her on YouTube on and off. I am sure school and college-goers will love to listen to Sunita and feel inspired. Even Bollywood diva Kareena Kapoor Khan will be attending the event. The 42nd edition of SIBF will host 2,033 publishers from 108 countries, who will be showcasing more than 1.5 million titles.  The best part of SIBF is that the entry is completely free and anyone can come.  It is wonderful to see young boys and girls busy in buying books. Even in the era of digitalisation, love for books has not at all waned. Books have their own charm.

Nargis Fathima,
By email