(Minghui.org) Many large fairs and festivals are held in India during the winter months, following the many religious holidays in autumn. This provides Falun Dafa practitioners many opportunities to introduce the benefits of Falun Dafa, a traditional mind-body cultivation practice from China.

In December 2024 and this past January, practitioners in South India participated in two major book fairs, in Hyderabad and Vijayawada. They introduced Falun Dafa and Dafa’s books to people from all walks of life and found that many people were supportive of Falun Dafa’s positive messages.

 

Introducing Falun Dafa at the Hyderabad Book Fair 

The 37th Hyderabad Book Fair was held for eleven days from December 19 – 29, 2024, at NTR Stadium, from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. each day.

As the capital and largest city of the state of Telangana, the Hyderabad Book Fair drew large crowds, with more than 1.2 million people visiting the various book vendors during the fair’s 11-day run. There were more than 350 vendors selling books in a variety of Indian languages, including the local Telugu language.

The 37th Hyderabad book fair at NTR stadium, Hyderabad.

Practitioners had two stalls at the fair where they displayed Falun Dafa books and publications, and demonstrated the Falun Dafa exercises. The books were available for purchase in Telugu, English, and Hindi.

Practitioners also displayed selected paintings from the Art of Zhen-Shan-Ren International Exhibition, works by practitioner artists that depict the beauty of Falun Dafa spiritual practice as well as the brutality of the ongoing persecution by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). They collected signatures on a petition to condemn former CCP leader Jiang Zemin for launching the 25-year-long persecution against Falun Dafa.

The Falun Dafa booth at the 37th Hyderabad Book Fair at NTR Stadium, Hyderabad
A practitioner does the 5th Falun Dafa exercise.

 

Media Interviews Practitioners

The practitioners’ presence at the fair also drew the attention of news channels and public personalities. CVR English News and Politikos stopped by to interview practitioners about the benefits of their spiritual practice, as well as how they continue to raise awareness of the persecution in China—including exposing the CCP’s atrocity of harvesting organs from living practitioners.

A Falun Dafa practitioner is interviewed by CVR English News.
A practitioner (left) is interviewed by Politikos (right).

 

Visitors Moved by Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance

People from all walks of life and regions talked with Falun Dafa practitioners, sharing their appreciation for Falun Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.

Visitors talk with practitioners at the Falun Dafa booth.

Gadam Prasad Kumar, the current speaker of the Telangana Legislative Assembly, said that he was touched by Falun Dafa’s three principles. Practitioners gave him a copy of Zhuan Falun, the primary book of Falun Dafa’s teachings, in the Telugu language. Mr. Prasad Kumar insisted on paying for it. He also took some informational materials with him and gave the universal gesture, namaste (palms pressed together in front of his chest), to show his respect.

Mr. Prasad Kumar (first on right), speaker of the Telangana assembly, Hyderabad, listens as a practitioner (left) introduces Falun Dafa.

An elderly man visited the Falun Dafa stall twice and bought the Telugu version of Zhuan Falun. “This is what is required at present: Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance,” he said. “Other spiritual books are fine, but this is the main book we need now.”

Several visitors told practitioners that they’d already heard about Falun Dafa. Vishal, a young man, said that he watched a performance by the Tian Guo Marching Band—a performance group made up of Falun Dafa practitioners—in 2014. He was happy to take some Falun Dafa informational materials so he could learn more about the practice.

A group of students also stopped at the booth after recognising the practice from a free tutorial session that practitioners conducted at their school. They recited the phrase, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good” to practitioners, and told them about the positive experiences they had when they did the Falun Dafa exercises.

Students recite, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good,” at the Hyderabad book fair, NTR stadium, Hyderabad.

A man from the U.S. was surprised to see Falun Dafa in India, and said he knew about Dafa and the CCP’s persecution and its crimes, including forced organ harvesting.

A man from the U.S. (left) talks with a Falun Dafa practitioner.

 

Experiencing the Power of the Falun Dafa Exercises 

Many visitors wished to learn the exercises.

A yoga teacher learned the second Falun Dafa exercise, Falun Standing Stance, from the practitioners at the booth. Afterward, she said she felt very calm and found the exercise helpful in relieving the stress and anxiety she often experiences. She was also surprised to learn that unlike yoga, Falun Dafa exercises don’t have any restrictions regarding  breathing patterns, food, or timing. She purchased the book Falun Gong so she could learn more of the exercises.

A high school student tried the exercises, and was excited by his experience. “I can see light of different colors, varying from white, purple, and so on,” he said.

 

 

Supporting Practitioners’ Efforts to End the Persecution

Many visitors expressed their solidarity with practitioners after finding out about the brutality that practitioners in China face simply because they uphold their faith.

A journalist told practitioners, “I know all about this [persecution]. The CCP is killing its own people and very soon it will collapse.”

He also thanked practitioners for spreading awareness of these serious human rights abuses in China. “You people are doing a great job!” he said. He read all of the informational materials available at the booth, and took some with him as he left.

One woman was shocked after learning about the torture methods and forced organ harvesting used on practitioners. “This is unfair!” she said.

A practitioner (first left) talks to visitors about the persecution in China.

 

Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Accepts Zhuan Falun

Vijayawada is the second-largest city and a commercial hub in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It’s the commercial, political, cultural, and educational nexus of the entire state.

From January 2 – 9, 2025, Falun Dafa practitioners participated in the Vijayawada Book Festival, organised by the Vijayawada Book Festival Society (VBFS). Held in the Indira Gandhi Municipal Stadium, the festival boasted over one million visitors and over 270 vendors.

Practitioners hung up banners across three sides of their booth, and were also invited to introduce Falun Dafa and the books on the main stage of the festival. Visitors flocked to the booth after hearing about Falun Dafa’s positive moral principles and easy-to-learn meditation.

One of the special guests at the book festival was Pawan Kalyan, the deputy chief minister of Andhra Pradesh. He is also a celebrated actor in Telugu-language films. A practitioner introduced Falun Dafa to him and told him about the three principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. Mr. Kalyan listened to the practitioner’s brief introduction, and accepted a copy of Zhuan Falun along with other informational materials. He thanked the practitioner for the warm gesture.

A practitioner (left) gives a Falun Dafa pamphlet to Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan (right) at the 35th Vijayawada Book Festival at IGMC Stadium, India.
A practitioner (left) gifts the book Zhuan Falun in Telugu to IPS officer Mr. Rajendra, Andhra Pradesh State Government (right).
A practitioner (right) offers a copy of Minghui International to Krishna Rao (left), Andhra Jyothi national reporter from Delhi.
A practitioner (left) shared information with Eenadu daily newspaper editor Nageswara Rao (right).

 

Visitors Sign Up for Falun Dafa Webinars and Ask to Learn the Exercises 

Practitioners distributed information about the ongoing online webinars to teach people the Falun Dafa exercises. These webinars are available in multiple Indian languages, including Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Bengali, and English.

Many visitors who tried the exercises at the booth were interested in the webinars and also asked about local practitioners in their area so they could continue to practice. A number also asked practitioners to host Falun Dafa lessons at their workplaces and clubs.