Editor - Pawan Kumar Gupta
Delhi
India Inaugurates Pavilion As Guest Of Honour Country At Bogotá International Book Fair 2026
India Leads Global Literary Dialogue As Guest Of Honour At Bogotá International Book Fair 2026
India is at the centre stage of one of the world’s most prominent international book fairs — the Bogotá International Book Fair 2026 (FILBo) — as the Guest of Honour Country from April 21 to May 4, 2026, in Bogotá, Colombia. Organised since 1988, the fair brings together readers, authors, publishers, editors, translators and booksellers across more than 20 pavilions, hosting over 2,000 activities and featuring participation from nearly 25 countries, with more than 600,000 visitors.
India Pavilion Inaugurated At FILBo
The India Pavilion was inaugurated on April 21 by Ms Yannai Kadamani Fonrodona, Minister of Culture, Arts and Knowledge, Colombia and H.E. Vanlalhuma, Honourable Ambassador of India to Colombia and Ecuador. The Pavilion and India’s presentation as ‘Guest of Honour’ country are organised by the Ministry of Education, Government of India in association with the Embassy of India in Colombia, with the National Book Trust, India as the implementing agency.
A 50-member strong India delegation is participating in the book fair comprising authors, illustrators, artists, publishers and officials, lead by Prof. Milind Sudhakar Marathe, Chairman, NBT, India. In his remarks, Shri Shreyansh Mohan, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Education, Government of India, noted that India’s participation at FILBo enables Indian works to find a new voice in Latin America, adding that it represents not merely a sharing of books but the weaving of a shared cultural horizon.
In his welcome address, Prof. Marathe invited guests to visit the India Pavilion and experience the diversity of Indian culture. Ms Yannai Kadamani Fonrodona expressed admiration for India’s rich and diverse cultural traditions, particularly its linguistic diversity. Mr Andrés López, President, Corferias, appreciated the well-curated India Guest of Honour presentation, while Mr Emiro Aristizábal, Executive President, Colombian Book Chamber, highlighted the Pavilion’s role in showcasing a diverse collection of books and fostering cultural exchange between India and Colombia.
In his address, the Honourable Ambassador of India to Colombia and Ecuador invited visitors to explore the India Guest of Honour presentation and experience India’s multilingual and rich cultural ethos. The ceremony also saw the release of ten books translated into Spanish and featured an Odissi dance performance by Ms Ana Vélez. The programme concluded with a vote of thanks proposed by Shri Manoj Kumar Sahu, Second Secretary, Embassy of India, Colombia, and was moderated by Shri Kumar Vikram, Chief Editor and Joint Director, and Project Head, India Guest of Honour Presentation.
Inside the India Pavilion: A Cultural and Literary Showcase
The India Pavilion, spread across an expansive 3,000 square metres, has been conceived as a space that brings together a collage of India’s rich literary heritage, contemporary ideas and diverse culture.
Mascot and Slogan
At the heart of the Pavilion is its distinctive mascot, created in the Kalighat art of West Bengal in eastern India, depicting an Indian family reading together, symbolising shared stories and reflecting a home-like sanctuary where stories are passed across generations. In addition, the Pavilion’s design is inspired by iconic Indian art and architecture. The facade of the pavilion prominently features kites, a shared festive symbol in India and Colombia, representing the soaring aspirations that the world of books and ideas inspires.
The expansive space will also include a dedicated stage for literary sessions inspired by the Amber Fort in Rajasthan, along with a book exhibition featuring approximately 350 titles in various languages modelled on the Kerala Nalukettu, featuring a traditional nadumuttam or courtyard that draws light into the Pavilion’s heart, making the act of reading as intimate and natural as returning home. The Publisher’s Zone, which will host a range of B2B discussions among industry leaders, is inspired by the Hampi Bazaar, a bustling marketplace of ancient India.
The India Pavilion’s slogan, “Read and Explore India – पढ़ें और जानें भारत – Lee y explora la India”, invites visitors to explore the many dimensions of India through the over 100 literary events, cultural presentations, book exhibition and special audio-visual showcases. The Pavilion extends a warm invitation—Come, Read and Explore India—encouraging every visitor to discover India not only as a place, but as an unfolding experience of stories, ideas and cultures.
FILBo Theme Celebrates ‘Silence’
The Bogotá International Book Fair (FILBo) 2026 centers on the theme "Listening to Each Other is Reading Each Other," focusing on silence, quiet and reflection. The theme is aptly integrated in a series of seven curated exhibitions at the India Pavilion that present diverse dimensions of India’s civilisational history and contemporary life, with each exhibition built as a sanctuary, of pause, depth and wonder, where minds wander without sound.
The idea of “silence” has been approached both spatially and intellectually within the Pavilion. Alongside quiet reading areas and reflective exhibition spaces, two specially curated sessions will engage directly with this theme. These discussions will explore how silence is understood in Indian thought, particularly in relation to meditation, contemplation, and the pursuit of knowledge.
Exhibitions
A central feature of the India Pavilion is a series of seven curated exhibitions that present diverse dimensions of India’s civilisational history and contemporary life.
From the Therigatha of the 3rd century BCE to Savitribai Phule in the 19th century, India, the exhibition ‘Women Thinkers of India through the Ages: From Therigatha to Savitribai Phule’ celebrates the enduring legacy of Indian women thinkers for their remarkable intellectual contributions through poetry, philosophy, personal dilemmas and religious explorations. They have acted not only as creators of knowledge but also as insightful commentators and courageous critics who challenged social boundaries and reimagined a more humane and egalitarian world.
Romain Rolland, the seminal French Nobel Laureate (1915), referred to Mahatma Gandhi as 'master' of 'We, intellectuals, men of science, men of letters, artists.’ The exhibition ‘Gandhi’s: The Writers’ Writer,’ looks at the role that Mahatma Gandhi played as Author-Editor-Publisher-Printer-Institution Builder and the large and wide-ranging creative works including his persona, actions, thoughts, writings and speeches which inspired his contemporaries as well as the succeeding generations of not only litterateurs, but sociologists, economists, political scientists, scientists, artists, musicians, painters, and sculptors alike.
The exhibition ‘Sahitya: Master Voices of Modern India’ will showcase stalwarts from India’s multilingual literary landscape to reflect the diversity of Indian literature and its contribution to global literary conversations with icons such as Rabindranath Tagore, Ashapurna Devi, Premchand, Mahadevi Varma, Mannu Bhandari, Subramania Bharti, Mirza Ghalib and Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, among others.
‘Pathana: Reading and Writing Heritage of India’ traces the evolution of Indian knowledge systems from oral traditions to manuscripts and print culture, while ‘Prakriti: Master Illustrators of India’ showcases the work of celebrated Indian artists such as Mario Miranda and Manjula Padmanabhan, highlighting the role of their illustrations in shaping children’s literature in India.
In the exhibition ‘Bhumi: A Colombian Gaze on the Himalayas’, Colombian documentary photographer Emilio Aparicio Rodríguez’s exploration of the Himalayan highlands and diverse cultural regions over fifteen years is presented through a compelling visual narrative.
‘India on the Rise’ reflects India’s contemporary achievements as it undergoes visible transformation, highlighting developments in space science and public infrastructure, including milestones such as the India’s Mars Orbiter Mission, Chandrayaan-3 landing, India’s Longest Overwater Bridge, World’s Tallest Statue in India among many more.
Explore India Through Talks, Films and Cultural Performances
To provide visitors with a 360-degree comprehensive experience, the India Pavilion will host over 100 events, bringing together more than 75 Indian and Colombian authors, poets, translators, performers, illustrators, thinkers, speakers and artists. This will include a robust line-up of daily literary sessions, fun learning activities for children in a dedicated Kids Zone as well as daily cultural performances. The India Pavilion will also host film and documentary screenings with Spanish subtitles to help bring the stories of India closer to Colombia.
The literary sessions will cover a wide spectrum of subjects, including Indian Knowledge Systems, India’s journey in space exploration, Indian culture, India–Colombia relations, cinema in India, children’s literature and translation, artificial intelligence, multilingual literary traditions, culinary heritage, and thematic discussions on Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi. The programme will also feature multilingual poetry recitals and sessions on Indian folk art, crafts, yoga and Ayurveda.
Literary Sessions
The Indian authors' delegation will feature journalist and author Anant Vijay; illustrator and writer Neetu Sharma; novelist and screenwriter Kulpreet Yadav; author, translator and civil servant Jitendra Kumar Soni; Bollywood actor and writer Akhilendra Mishra; writer Manorama Mishra; author and political analyst Shantanu Gupta; illustrator Partha Sengupta; writer Ramanand Pandey; poet Swarnjit Savi; poet and author Usha Upadhyay; linguist and author Bhushan Bhave and writer and former civil servant Shiv Prasad, among others. Several special sessions with astronaut and Indian Air Force fighter pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to journey to the International Space Station, will include will include both literary discussions and interactive sessions with children.
The Colombian speakers will include Alex Sierra Moncada, board member of the Asociación Amigos de India-Colombia; academician Andrés Barragán, prominent Colombian intellectual, photographer and journalist Andrés Hurtado García; Colombian documentary photographer Emilio Aparicio Rodriguez; traveler and teacher Fernando Silva; author and indologist Germán Puyana; film director Harold Trompetero; author Laura Natalia Reina Gómez and culinary expert Rochelle Miranda and many more.
Translation Project
A highlight of India’s participation will be the launch of over 50 Indian children’s books translated from English into Spanish, marking a significant step in bringing Indian storytelling to Latin-American readers, including 27 bilingual titles.
The 25 Spanish translation list features Cowasjee’s New Nose by Sajjan Singh, What is Hinduism? by Mahatma Gandhi, Tagore: A Life and Gandhi: A Life by Krishna Kripalani, My Little India by Manoj Das, A Primer on Yoga by Ramesh Bijlani, Ayurveda Unravelled by Sharadini Dahanukar and Urmila Thatte, Amazing Octi by Viky Arya, One Night by Cheryl Rao, Holidays Have Come by Rabindranath Tagore, among others.
The bilingual collection includes A Friend Forever by Aindrila Mitra, Anandi’s Rainbow by Anup Ray, Bhakta Salbega by Rabindra Nath Sahu, Friend by Pracheta Gupta, Fu-Ku: An Alien by Jagdish Joshi, I Am Better Than You by Sigrun Srivastav, and Lalu and the Red Kite by Ashish Sengupta and more.
Films and Documentaries
The Pavilion will also host daily screenings of documentaries on stalwarts of modern Indian literature and prominent Indian films namely Bahubali, RRR, Soorarari Pottru, Queen, Mary Kom, Kahaani, Bhaag Milkha Bhag, Dangal, English Vinglish, Tanu weds Manu, Jab we Met and Neerja.
Cultural Presentations
The cultural presentations will offer visitors an immersive experience of India’s classical and folk traditions from a series of Bharatanatyam and Kathak performances with compositions including Durga Vandana and Saraswati Vandana. Traditional folk dances from Rajasthan, including Kalbeliya and Chari, along with Hindustani classical music concerts performed with a range of Indian traditional instruments such as the bansuri, sitar, tabla, santoor and tanpura, will introduce the audience to India’s performing arts heritage.
Book Exhibition, Audio-Visual Booths and AI Kiosks
The Pavilion will showcase nearly 3,000 titles, reflecting the richness and diversity of Indian writing across genres, as well as an India-themed restaurant offering a taste of the country’s diverse food dishes, inspired by the city of Lucknow, recognised by UNESCO as a City of Gastronomy.
The India Pavilion will feature a dedicated children’s and young readers’ zone designed as an interactive and engaging space. It will host storytelling sessions, creative workshops, and hands-on activities that introduce Indian culture in an accessible and enjoyable manner. A key highlight will be India Quest, a specially curated set of 25 quiz-based questions that invite children to explore different aspects of India, including its geography, culture, history, literature, festivals, food, and contemporary life. In addition, the space will include activities such as puzzles and creative games, explorations of UNESCO World Heritage sites, and engaging introductions to India’s wildlife, including its national animals and birds.
The pavilion will feature curated, interactive spaces such as audio-visual booths, AI-enabled kiosks with selfie points where visitors can get their photos taken in Indian wedding attire or take illustrated or stylised selfies with Indian authors.
By bringing together literature, culture and ideas, the India Pavilion presents India as both a civilisation and a contemporary knowledge society, while strengthening cultural ties between India and Colombia.
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