The first ever Guwahati Literary Festival and Book Fare has began at Chandmari in Guwahati yesterday. Orgainsed by Assam Publication Borad, the 11 day festival was inaugurated by Chief Minisiter Tarun Gogoi. He conferred the Lifetime Literary Award for the year 2012 to noted writer Dr.Lakshminandan Bora at the inaugural.Altogether 184 publication houses are taking part in the festival. Seminars, interactive sessions and cultural events are also being held in the festival. Another salient feature of the festival will be the celebration of two hundred years of the printing of first Assamese book Dharma Pustak .