New Delhi Aug 25 (IANS) Even as the stalls in Delhi book fair attract visitors with discounts and clearance sales and the fair itself with free entry readers reactions are a mixed bag.
Many found the fair underdelivering in terms of size and variety in books on offer with quite a few voicing praises.
Riya a student who came looking for English novels and non-fiction books pointed at the dominance of Indian literature.
"I ve begun to find some titles I was looking for in this segment but not all. The previous segments were full of mostly Hindi spiritual literature " she told IANS.
Even as some readers complain of lack of a significant variety and even stalls not accepting card payments many say it was not a complete dampener.
Bhargavi a Class 10 student who says she visits the fair every year said although she is familiar with most books on sale it is still a good exploring opportunity.
"My parents are readers so I have been a voracious reader since Class 1. What I see here is something I ve mostly seen everywhere. So it s quite general in that way " she said.
"But organising such a big thing is not a child s play. If you go to a book shop you won t explore even half as much as one does here."
Her mother Renuka who is a lawyer and an avid reader said she found a number of latest titles here.
"It s not a complete package but not a complete dampener also " she said.
Another parent told IANS that she came looking for children s books and found engaging content along with interactive learning tools.
As the scaled-down Delhi book fair does hold interest most visitors suggest at least one visit to test waters for themselves.

--IANS sj/nir