Walking into the Chennai Book Fair this year felt more like stepping into a cultural carnival of sorts!"

Inside the 49th Chennai Book Fair 2026

A Report

This year’s Chennai Book Fair saw seasoned bookworms of all hues unite at the YMCA Grounds, Nandanam, to celebrate the power of ink, ideas, and inclusivity!

With Dr. Benet, former Vice Principal of NC, and Dr. Lilian, Principal, WCC

Well, the CBF 2026 was inaugurated on 8th January 2026, and is expected to go on until 21st January 2026.

When Dr. Benet, (my best company for the past many years when it comes to visiting the Book Fair) called me up to check if I’m free this evening (Saturday evening) to visit the book fair, I impulsively gave a thumping ‘Yes’ for an answer! 😊

In fact, the very same morning, we had our MCC Institutions’ Annual Get-together at MCC School (my alma mater), where, the organisers had specifically asked the Deans from MCC to spearhead the fest!

MCC School Auditorium

The inspirational programme began at 9 am and ended at 1.30 pm. Felt so proud of the various schools and community colleges associated with MCC. It was also nice to see them all come together in brotherly love at the grand MCC School Auditorium, for our Annual Get-together.

The Very Same Place We Used to Study When We Were students Here 

The acoustics of the Auditorium was stunning!

Our Principal’s talk was the icing on the cake. He spoke on institutional resilience and institution-building.

“The first responsibility of any leader is to align people before thinking of streamlining processes. The next one is to streamline the processes, and the third one is to execute projects. If the order is changed, there will be a chaos. There will be a dissipation of heat, rather than converting them into energy, 

he noted.

This was followed by a very inspiring talk by Dr. Alfred Devaprasad, Member, Board of Directors, MCC. Dr. PCR Suresh, Advisor, MCC Board also spoke about the importance of Academic Excellence. The MCC Group Choir was super-awesome! During the tea-break, I felt so happy when Prof. Sridhar, our Vice-Principal said that he was also planning to visit the Book Fair today, along with his colleagues.

After the programme got over, by 1.30 pm I had to be part of the Comprehensive VIVA of Ms. Esther from SRM University. She did a very good presentation. Hats off to her Research Supervisor Dr. Shalini, for encouraging her ward to venture full-throttle into her field of research – to configure forms of experience that are epistemically inaccessible to phenomenological disclosure.

Then, by 6 pm, Dr. Benet arrived - on time as he had promised, - and we both went in his car to the YMCA Grounds for the Book Fair. After parking the car in the scheduled parking lot, we were walking our way into the sprawling grounds, discussing all things literature. 😊

Well, walking into the Chennai Book Fair this year felt more like stepping into a cultural carnival of sorts!

Even as we enter through the arches, (this year it’s been named the the Bharathiyar Gate), the distinct, aroma of paper - that only book lovers can understand - whiffs past you so gently, tugging at your heartstrings.

Dr. Benet in the company of books...

Interestingly, this year’s fair has introduced quite a few significant changes that really set it apart from previous editions of the Fair.

Firstly, the Free Entry, wherein, visitors just have to register via a QR code at the entrance, but the ticket itself is free. I guess this has visibly increased footfall to the Fair, going by any indications.

Secondly, a special Children’s Enclave has been created dedicated entirely to children. It’s quite colourful, interactive, and packed with storytelling sessions, making it easier for parents to keep kids engaged while they are busy browsing books nearby.

This year there’s a whopping 980 stalls, with a range of Tamil books, English & International Books, Used Books, etc donning the show in toto!

Yet another delightful surprise was meeting with Dr. Lilian Jasper, Principal of Women’s Christian College, Chennai, who is an incorrigible bookworm of the highest order, much akin to Dr. Benet! 😊

A View from MCC School Playground 

On the whole, a very rewarding day today, in every way!