Ongole Book Festival concludes

Ongole: The third Ongole Book Festival concluded magnificently on Sunday after captivating book lovers for ten consecutive days. Book enthusiasts flocked to PVR Boys High School grounds from 10:00 AM on the final day, with book purchases continuing until 09:00 PM. Organisers bid farewell to the festival with promises to return to Ongole next year.

A quiz competition, held at 4:00 PM, drew participation from 30 students and was conducted by Rahmanuddin from the Vijayawada Book Festival Society. Three teams won prizes in the competition. Chief guest Penugonda Lakshminarayana and CA Prasad distributed awards to 60 students who demonstrated talent across various events throughout the ten-day festival, including storytelling, painting, patriotic singing, monodrama performances, and quiz competitions.

At 06:00 PM, a discussion programme focused on the life and literature of B Hanumareddy took place. Penugonda Lakshminarayana, National Secretary of ARaSam, served as the chief guest. Other speakers included Chalapaka Prakash, General Secretary of Andhra Pradesh Rachayitala Sangham, K Lakshmayya, President of Vijayawada Book Festival Society, and General Manager of Prajasakti Book House. Sri Ponnuru Venkata Srinivasu, President of Prakasam Zilla Rachayitala Sangham, presided over the event.

The closing ceremony commenced at 07:00 PM, presided over by the senior leader of Jana Vijnana Vedika Pullarao.

President of Andhra Pradesh Library Redevelopment Movement Forum, Valluru Sivaprasad, delivered the concluding address. The ten-day festival successfully provided both knowledge and entertainment to Ongole residents, organisers reported.