Organised by Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad, Pune, the Pune Book Fair and Marathi Sahitya Mela in its 23rd Edition presented an array of literary activities and sessions across several segments.
One such interesting segment was ‘English Authors’ Meet’ that had an amalgamation of writers representing right from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, Gujarat to Bengal, and Bihar. Eminent names like Prof Atul Bengeri, Brigadier (Rtd) Pramathesh Raina, Jyoti Jha, Aniket Soman, Garima Gupta, Sonal Agrawal, and Jyotsnaa Bidave were present during the session and shared their writing journeys and experiences in conversation with Rohit Jerajani. With the aim of moving towards an enlightened and knowledgeable society, the 23rd Pune Book Fair, apart from providing an immersive experience into exploring a variety of books and connecting with bookstores, publishing houses, academic institutes, and government bodies, is all set to mesmerise and immerse all literary enthusiasts into an amazing and enriching exhibit of literary activities, fun, fiesta. Providing a wonderful opportunity for emerging and established writers alike to share space, interact, exchange thoughts, and connect with literary doyens, renowned institutes, fellow authors, readers, and writers, the book fair highlights the fact that literature plays an important role in changing social mindsets and driving large social changes. Literary pieces become a source of history preserving thoughts, ideas, experiences, sentiments, expressions, problems, solutions, predictions-past, present, and future, as true accounts or through fiction.
‘If not a quintessential element of a change process, literature is certainly an integral part of it’, said HR-turned-Awarded and Bestselling Author Jyoti Jha. Sharing glimpses of her literary journey, she said that through stories, she explores and expresses human emotions. Keeping in mind the sensitivity of language, literature, and cultural exchange, she has stepped into the role of a translator while translating several literary pieces. Jyoti is known for her literary contributions on topics like Women Empowerment, Social Causes, Human Emotions, Exploring Life through Travel, and Stories from the grassroots in both English and Hindi. In conversation with Rohit Jerajani, she expressed her thoughts, ideas, and experiences behind her literary pieces and her journey. She also shared her insights about the significant role of literature in driving any social change, highlighting the campaign ‘Let’s Inspire Bihar’ run by Bihar’s popular and celebrated IPS Officer Vikas Vaibhav, and how, as the Chief Coordinator of the Literary Chapter of the campaign, she has aligned her literary efforts towards the vision of the social change process. She also announced that the LIB Literary Chapter, in association with The Literary Mirror, is organizing the LIB Literature Festival 2026 on 8th February 2026 at Vidyapati Bhawan, Patna, and she requested the audience to shower their support and encouragement for the same.
Jyotsnaa Bidave said that while we begin learning to communicate right from birth, however, to build an understanding, a simple conversation becomes difficult for us. An event like a Book Fair and other Literature events provides an opportunity to meet and interact with intellectuals and thinkers from various fields who exchange thoughts and ideas, initiating the process of understanding one another and establishing simple communications.
Garima Gupta said that mental health is as important as physical health, and hence, it becomes important to write about it. Keeping this in mind, she has been presenting psychological perspectives in a way that reaches normal readers in simple words.
Sonal Agrawal, the writer of ‘The Grass is Greener on My Side’ said that with the aim of seeing and finding good in others, seeking, and wishing well for others, praising and applauding others, and most importantly, to explore the goodness within oneself, she began writing. Through her book and writings, she spreads the message of optimism, positivity, and overcoming life’s challenges.
Brigadier Pramathesh Raina said that he has inherited the talent of writing from his family. Before Article 370, he had personally experienced the real situations of Kashmiri people, their sufferings, pain, and struggles, and he began writing to delve into the heart of Kashmir’s history, challenges, and hopes for the future. His book ‘Kashmir: Dawn of a New Era’ carries a Foreword by Padma Bhushan, Actor and Motivational Speaker Anupam Kher.
Prof. Atul Bengeri mentioned that his writing seeks to strike a balance between practicality and sentimentality. It is primarily aimed at students in schools and colleges, as well as professionals from the fields of education, healthcare, and entrepreneurship.
Aniket Soman shared that he has been writing since he was eleven years old, and from a tender age, the seed of writing has been instilled in him. It powered him to continue exploring the written world.
The session was coordinated and moderated by a multifaceted expert and the owner of Pune’s Iconic Heritage Book Shop, Express Book Services (Winner: Best Book Store Award 2025), who provides platforms to writers to explore and establish their literary endeavours. A man who needs no introduction, Rohit Jerajani is a proprietor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist — and the first and only person to have organised and executed a sports-centric literary festival that brought together 42 Indian and international athletes to talk about books. He has also been successfully carrying forward the legendary legacy of Express Book Service for decadesSpeaker at ET Times, CNBC, Times Network, etc, he runs and organizes several literary activities, fests, and sessions across the globe.
The authors were felicitated by the representatives of Suryadatta Group of Institutes, an institute driven by the vision of creating a world-class center of excellence in education whose foundation is built on the principles of innovation, social sensitivity, and advanced technology. The institute provides quality education that supports holistic and sustainable development. At the Book Fair, the institute distributed 1,500 free books to students with the aim of rekindling the reading habit among the younger generation. The institute distributed 1500 free books to students at its stall in the Pune Book Fair.
Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad In-Charge, Shreerish Chitnis, said that regional languages should pave the way towards English Literature through literary translations. This will help preserve and provide longevity, expansion, and greater outreach to literary masterpieces in regional languages across the country, taking their rich quality, essence, and messages to global platforms. He expressed his happiness that writers from different regions across the country participated in the session. 
PNR Rajan, Convener- Pune Book Fair, gave a vote of thanks and felicitated the authors and the moderator, Rohit Jerajani, at the end of the session. He said how an amalgamation of culture, heritage, and literature from across India represented the value of National Integration and the important role of literature in establishing it. He said he looks forward to the continued inspiration and growing strength of literary events.
The Pune Book Fair saw a great footfall of readers, writers, literary enthusiasts who visited and explored the stalls by publishing houses, media, academic institutes, government entities, and Studios with names like Abacus, Akashvani, Maharashtra Sahitya parishad, National Film Archive of India, The Institute of Company Secretaries of India, Suryadatta Group of Institutes, Shree Book Centre, Publication Division, Govt of India, Patil Enterprises, Recipes Delight, Acube Studio, Zankar Studio (Display), Creative Publications, Falun Dafa, Linc Limited, etc. Authors Stalls included Jyoti Jha, Jyotsnaa Bidave, Sonal Agrawal, and Garima Gupta. Such events certainly promote reading habits and help create platforms for literary networking, fostering cultural and community engagement, and boosting the publishing industry.
