Share a message, get a book! Free book stall turns major crowd-puller at Cuttack Bali Yatra

Cuttack’s grand Bali Yatra fair is witnessing massive footfall as lakhs of visitors gather every evening to soak in the festive spirit. Thousands of traders from different states have gathered in the historic carnival to set up their stalls. From household items to a variety of goods, people are flocking to the stalls to eagerly buy their favourite products.

Among the plethora of attractions, free books stalls have garnered attention among visitors and have become a major highlight of the fair. People can visit the stalls and get rewarded with a free book by sharing a message about Odia language and literature. Long queues of visitors are seen waiting to give their message and collect their favourite books. The initiative aims to promote interest in Odia literature among the public.

Visitors can pen down their messages on a slip of paper and paste them on the message board. The board is now filled with heartfelt notes, including one visitor who wrote, 'Life is incomplete without literature,' and another who shared, “Embracing and reading Odia literature will lead us forward.”

The organisers also added that the stall is drawing massive crowd to participate in the initiative.

“We begin distributing books at 3:00 p.m. and continue until 10:00 p.m. every day. The collection includes both books purchased through EOY and those donated by various tehsils, blocks, and schools. We provide more than one book to each visitor each day, reaching around 200–300 people daily. In total, we are redistributing nearly 10,000 books every day,” the organiser said.