TOBA TEK SINGH: The University of Agriculture Faisalabad on Tuesday began a book fair on the first day of the UAF Kisan Mela. The mela will last till Oct 9, while the book fair will continue till Oct 5, with 33 stalls displaying 100,000 books. Kisan Mela includes agricultural exhibition, art and literature festival, tent pegging competitions, food and nutrition mela, farmers convention, photo exhibition, greyhound race, Kabaddi, Gur Mela, dog show, Sufi night, poetry competitions and a mares competition. Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the book fair, VC Dr Iqrar Ahmad called for promoting the habit of reading, as books have always been sincere and true friends of humanity. Kisan Mela convener Dr Muhammad Riaz Virk said the mela provides a platform for agricultural scientists, farmers, policymakers, industry, and people from different walks of society to make concerted efforts for agricultural sustainability and development. Convener of the Book Fair Dr Sohail Sajid said books ranging from science to history, literature, travelogues, Islamic studies, medicine, engineering, agriculture, physics, communication and all other topics have been displayed, attracting large crowds. Librarian Umar Farooq said more than 100,000 books had been made available at the fair, attracting not only university students but also many local book lovers.