Bilkul Online | Sunday Special | By Rafat Quadri
Ahmedabad | 09 Nov 2025
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), in collaboration with the National Book Trust of India, is set to host the Ahmedabad International Book Festival 2025 — a nine-day celebration of knowledge, art, and culture from November 13 to 21 at the Sabarmati Riverfront Event Centre.
The AMC has appealed to school and college students, teachers, and principals to actively participate in this grand literary and cultural event, which aims to turn the city into a vibrant hub of creativity and learning. With over 300 events spread across nine days, the festival promises to be an immersive experience of storytelling, competitions, performances, and hands-on workshops.
Three Zones of Learning and Creativity
Zone 1 – Children’s Corner (NCCL Pavilion): Morning sessions (9:00 am–12:30 pm) designed for school groups will feature storytelling, puppet theatre, mandala art, best-out-of-waste, and dance-drama activities.
Zone 2 – Gyaan Ganga: Daily writing and design studios (10:00 am–5:00 pm) will offer workshops in ghazal, poetry, drama, film scripts, essays, and biography writing. Creative hands-on sessions in fabric puppetry, zine-making, terracotta art, oil painting, and metal embossing will also be held.
Zone 3 – School Board Centenary Pavilion: This zone will host the city-level finals of various inter-school mega contests from 10:00 am to 7:30 pm daily.
Festival Highlights
Each day will bring special attractions —
- Nov 13–14: Quiz Competitions
- Nov 15: Storytelling
- Nov 16: Fancy Dress
- Nov 17: Kids’ Panel Discussion
- Nov 18: Inter-School Contest
- Nov 19: Impromptu Speech
- Nov 20: Book Reading Contest
- Nov 21: Masti Ki Paathshala
Winners across categories will receive trophies and awards at the closing ceremony.
Cultural and Film Showcases
The festival will also feature a Free Children’s Film Festival, screening 4–7 international award-winning films daily from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm.
Evenings will come alive with cultural performances including folk orchestra by Kirtidan Gadhvi, Gujarati poetry and music with Ankit Trivedi, Hindi film melodies by Sandeep Christian Orchestra, and a grand mushaira with celebrated poets. Distinguished guests like Lt. Gen. (Retd.) K.J.S. Dhillon and IPS (Retd.) K. Vijay Kumar will lead inspiring sessions on courage and leadership.
Special Opportunities for College Students
College attendees will get a chance to meet and interact with eminent personalities like Acharya Prashant, Gurcharan Das, Nitin Sethi, and Kulpreet Yadav. Live sessions on AI, crime journalism, and the Gandhi–Mandela legacy will be organized. Students will also have the opportunity to intern with publishers and explore content-writing prospects on-site.
How to Participate
- Fill out one Google Form for your entire school or college.
- Select your preferred date and zone.
- Receive confirmation of bus parking and teacher passes by email.
- Entry is free for students in uniform and accompanying teachers (1:15 ratio). Carry ID cards.
- Slot booking closes on November 11, 2025.
For bulk booking and contact: https://forms.gle/ood9G9eSpoFHxXyU9