Valedictory letter and a promise to meet again in 2013!

Dear book worms and bibliophiles,

Hope this posts finds you snug with all the books you purchased at the World Book Fair that are now neatly stacked in your shelves or kept on your bed side tables.

The last 9 days you smelt the sweet fragrance of, caressed the spines of, and felt the warmth of books that transported you to other spaces and time at the fair. Besides browsing and purchasing books we had fun times together watching films; meeting authors, critics, filmmakers; attending workshops. The fair would have not been the success that it was without your love, assistance and co operation.

It is time to bid good bye now. However this goodbye comes with a promise to meet again. A promise that you will see bear fruition in 2013. 

Happy reading till then. May you have a year full of books.

With the love and embrace of books.

World Book Fair

New Delhi

Behind the scenes with Farida M. Naik, Jt. Director (Admin & Finance) NBT

In a conversation with Farida M. Naik, Joint Director (Admin & Finance) NBT

Please give us a behind the scenes view of the fair.
Everyone's been on their toes for the last 2 months and the work was divided between many people. Everyone worked hard starting from the director who would be typing letters and personal invites to celebrities and ministers. We worked very closely as a team and that is what has made the difference.

What are the changes that you wanted to bring about that you regret not having been able to implement?
We wanted to give a professional look to the entire affair which we were able to achieve. One thing that we wanted was seating space for the visitor. In the end there was too much rush so we weren't able to achieve that. However, we were able to have a lot of walking space. Most of the things we had planned we were able to achieve.

What is your vision for the coming year?
We have made great progress but we aim to make it better. We'll put in more hard work and achieve all that we couldn't do this year.

How does it feel with the event coming to a close?
In the last two months we were deeply involved in arranging the fair. We do have many activities which we need to get on with but one will miss working on the book fair till it's time for the next one in 2013!

Interview with Sumit Bhattacharjee, Asst. director NBT

As the fair draws to an end, we spoke to some of those who were are the pillars of the fair. We spoke to Sumit Bhattachajee, the Assistant director of National Book Trust about the travails and experience of putting up the gala event that the book fair is. 

What goes into the making of the World Book Fair?

Hardwork, planning and goodwill. If one of them is missing, nothing can be done.

What have you tried to do differently at this year's fair?

I've been associated with the book fair for several years now. This is probably my 14th time. This time we have a new team. We thus thought we should do something new this time that is better than what we've done before. I can't blow my own trumpet beyond this so I will leave it for the people who have visited the fair to comment.

How did you conceptualize the theme of the fair?

We wanted to do something combining literature and cinema because cinema is celebrating 100 years next year. We even released a calendar on the theme of Cinema and Literature. That was a big success. After that we began work on this theme.

What were the efforts that went into attracting young people to the fair?

The dates of the world book fair coincided with school exams this time so we targeted young adults. We had a massive advertising campaign through which we were able to get massive footfall at the fair.

Any closing comments to the audience on the social media networks?

Hope to see you again next year!

Firsts at the 20th New Delhi World Book Fair

'Fair News'

With the fair getting bigger and better this year NBT had introduced many things for the first time. The information kiosk was one of them. These kiosks available at all the halls exhibiting books at the fair were found to be of extremely useful as they contained information about the various features of the book fair and which hall was hosting what genre of books. It also contained a Publication wise list that gave very specific and pertinent information.

The second new entrant at the fair was the 'Fair News', published daily. The leaflet contained news from the previous day's activities and informed the visitors to the fair about the events lined up for that day. The leaflet was full of photographs and detailed descriptions of the events of the book fair so as to not make up for what you may have missed at the fair. National Centre for Children's Literature published a daily mail exclusively for children discussing children's workshops, books and comments of the visitors to the children's pavilion.

The book fair goes e-savvy

Abreast with the rapid changes and challenges in the technologizing of books, the World Book Fair hosted a seminar on How e-publishing technologies and market developments will create opportunities for book publishers and printers. 

The two day seminar discussed- How Authors can benefit by new approaches in ePublishing of Self-Publishing and On Demand Publishing; how the Publishing ecosystem can offer ePublishing on Mobile devices including Tablets, Reading Devices and Smartphones; how publishers and authors could use e-distribution mechanisms to monetize their book inventory and the discovery of content in the age of tablets, e-readers and Google

The ePublishing event was targeted to introduce the new concepts, tools and technologies and evelopments in the digital publishing space.

The Children's Pavilion- Bustling with colour and activity

The Children's Pavilion was the most colourful and vivacious corner of the book fair with thousands of books in varying shapes and sizes adorning the shelves of each stall. From comics to graphic novels to 3 D books to educational tools, the children's pavilion enchanted the little ones. 

At the pavilion, the activities organized through the day entailed meetings with authors, Maths workshops, poetry recitation. Katha organized a cartoon making workshop in which children were imparted tips on how to make their sketches attractive. Pratham Books organized a book reading session. They also organized a puppet show based on the story- 'Laddu ka Swaad' which tickled children's funny bones. Kartik Sharma from Eklavya recited fun limericks which the children recited after him.

Origami and craft workshops were also organized for children where they learnt the art of folding that lends itself to the construction of various items of great amusement and function. Children also entertained each other with performances like the one titled- 'Kitabein karti hain baatien' wherein each child adorned the role of a book and appealed to people to read them.  

Nandita Das Talks to Children about Books and Films

Nandita Das

At the session, 'Bal Katha se Cinema Tak' organized by Bachpan Society of Children's Literature in collaboration with National Centre for Children's Literature was present, actor and the present chairperson of Children's Film Society of India, Nandita Das.  She spoke of the need to promote children's films free of violence. She encouraged children to take part in theatre activities in school if they aspired to act in her films. 

She spoke about her favourite books and how they have contributed to the development of her personality. Speaking of the similarity between books and cinema, she said that both of them introduce the reader/ audience to a brand new world. 

Kalam ignites the fire of knowledge at the fair

At an interactive session titled 'Books, Reading and their Influence on My Life' former President, APJ Abdul Kalam said that books ignite imagination and that they are beautiful companions. 

In an interactive session with children, Abdul Kalam said that e-books could never replace real books. The rocket scientist and people's president inspired children and adults alike with the stirring stories of the pursuit of knowledge he narrated. He made the audience take a oath to start a library in their homes  and dedicate an hour a day at least to reading. 

He set an example of a voracious reader by buying lots of books from the fair himself. 

Bollywood through the Bioscope

A bioscope

The World Book Fair brought out what has become a relic from the past, the bioscope to be viewed by a generation that has not known the phenomenon of the bioscope man coming to their town. The news of the bioscope man's arrival would spread like wild fire. Children would huddle around the colourful machine, impatiently nudging each other to get a peek inside the bioscope. The bioscope man would crank rolls of images which would be magnified through a lens fitted on the viewing windows. There would be music to accompany the images which would charm and attract people to the colouful box of images. 

At the book fair, outside the cinema pavilion was stationed a bioscope and the bioscope man that manages to capture the fancy of a generation that has been brought up on an (overfed) diet of the moving image. Children and adults alike thronged to the bioscope and were filled with glee at seeing this antiquated object.   

Tribute to Tagore

Ravindranath Tagore

The Sahitya Akademi organized a pavilion dedicated to Tagore at the fair. The pavilion had a statue of Tagore in white stone that reminds one of his towering personality and achievements in the field of literature. The pavilion was to commemorate the 150th birthday of the writer.  Books by and about Tagore were on display. Additionally, the place was full of posters, paintings and sketches of Tagore. The nobel laureate was aptly commemorated by the book fair.

Last two days of the fair!

If you have still not visited the World Book Fair at Pragati Maidan you have just two days left to get hold of your copies of books you've been wanting to read. The fair wraps up on Sunday, the 4th of March.

Interesting events at the CINEMA PAVILION being organized TODAY (3.3.2012) are:

WORKSHOP ON WRITING FILM APPRECIATION

Session 1: Screenwriting in Indian Context by Anil Zankar
                  (11.30am - 1pm)
Session 2: How to Read a Film by Anupam Siddharth
                  (1.30pm - 3pm)

PANEL DISCUSSION ON URDU LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

Panelists:

Farooq Sheikh, actor

Sagar Sarhadi, film writer and director

Javed Siddiqui, screenwriter and playwright

Salim Arif, theatre activist

Basharat Ahmad Farooq, critic

Aziz Siddiqi,writer and critic

Still from the film Maati Maay

FILM SCREENING  

Maati Maay (Chitra Palekar, Marathi, 2006)  

The film is based on a Bengali short story, Daayen, by Mahashweta Devi. It is th heart rending tale of a young mother who is trapped between her instincts and needs, and the compulsions of her ancestral duty as dictated by the social system.

Gul Panag releases "Never Let Me Go"

Gul Panag

Actor Gul Panag released Sachin Garg's latest book 'Never Let me Go', published by Grapevine India Publishers, at the World Book Fair. The book is about an engineering student, the travails in his life and how he flees to Goa to escape them. The book, Garg revealed is inspired his own experiences as he was encouraged by his friends to write a book about his own life. 

Gul Panag said that the appeal of the book would span across all age groups. She added that the book encapsulates the feel of Goa well. 

This is Garg's second book. His first, It's First Love was also inspired by his own life.

Tribute to Bhupen Hazarika

The World Book Fair paid homage to iconic singer, poet, music composer journalist, author and film-maker- Bhupen Hazarika by releasing the book published by Spectrum called Bhupen Da: The Bard of Brahmaputra. Hazarika who sang of humanity and universal camaraderie died recently, leaving a haze of grief. The release of this book is a fitting tribute to the Assamese maestro who was admired and loved in not just India but the whole subcontinent.

 The book was launched as a hardcover by Shanta Sharabjit Singh, Vice Chairman of Sangeet Natak Academy. The paperback version is to follow up soon.

Found in translation

This time at the book fair much stress has been laid on translations. At the inaugural ceremony several NBT officials and other guests illuminated on the importance of translations. When literature in languages unknown to one are made available in the language  one comprehends, it makes available to us a whole world of sensibilities and sensations we are unfamiliar with. It also helps spread share ideas between people who share the same ideology and/ or cause but may not share a language of expression. Professor Mridula Mukherjee illuminated the example of the freedom struggle and how works originally in Bengali were translated to Marathi to unite the country's diverse and dispersed fight for independence. 

At a function at the fair writer Manoj Das remarked that every World Book Fair sees an increase in the number of translated copies. “Translated copies introduce new thought and consciousness," he said. In a country where there are so many official languages translations play a great role in the sharing of ideas. Thus the efforts of NBT to release translated copies of more and more books each year are commendable. 

A vast variety to choose from...

With 1,200 Indian and foreign publishers at the book fair this year there is a wide variety to choose from. Each stall at the fair promises something exclusive and exciting. Here is a brief review of some of the Indian publishers on display.

Rupa Publications, to mark the 150th birthday of Rabindranath Tagore, has dedicated a section to the poet. Tagore's plays, poetry anthologies and novels are priced reasonably and stalked at the stall. These small paper backs are affordable and light to carry around when travelling. 

The Penguin stall is easy to identify with its silver jubilee mascot ambassador car parked in the midst of heaps of books. To attract both, people looking for fast and easy reads in the form of their "metro reads", as well as former bestsellers like Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things. Paperback reprints of hugely popular novels like Shobhaa De's Starry Nights and R. K Narayan's The Guide are affordable. Penguin also offers merchandise like bags, mugs and notebooks. 

The Harper Collin's stall offers an interesting activity to the visitors of the fair. The ‘Harper Collins Tweet a story’ goes like this: Post a 40 word story on the publisher’s India Twitter account. The best ones will be made part of a small book. The stall offers a comic take on Confessions of a Serial Dieter by placing a weighing scale at the stall called Confessions of a Serial Dieter Weighing scale where one can weigh oneself.

All in all, the book fair offers a variety spread over a huge expanse so spend the weekend at the fair and enjoy the myriad genres of books on offer.

Cultural evening

After a long day of moving from hall to hall at Pragati Maidan browsing through, selecting and purchasing books the cultural programmes organized by the book fair authorities help one unwind. The evening programmes have traditional Indian dances and songs to entertain the public thronging to the fair. 

For those who like cultural programmes such as these better than winding up with a book at the end of the day, the show is a visual and aural treat. The world book fair authorities have made sure that the fair be a affair that promises a little something to all. For the foodies there are several food stalls offering multiple cuisines. So even if you are not a book lover, visit the fair because you're sure to find something at the fair that will capture your fancy- a film screening, a workshop or a dance performance.

Listening in...

By Manjari Kaul

When I was a little girl I would love and look forward to the end of the day when I would sit on my father's knee and he'd tell me a bedtime story. These stories - of adventures and animals, fantastical and read were sometimes read out to me and at other times just folklores and tales that I would listen to with much eagerness before being tucked into bed. However, these story telling sessions ended when I learnt  how to read myself. The experience of the first novel I read was a heady sense of achievement. But I always missed being read out to- the warmth of a voice telling the story made the stories more real for me. 

When I came across audio books at the book fair I was thrilled. I stood and listened to the Mark Twain's Adventures of Tom Sawyer being read out to me by a recorded voice. Audio books are reviving the tradition of story telling and thus making stories more accessible. Reado which deals in audio-books has a stall at the fair that sells audio books classics like children's classics (Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland and Jungle Book to name a few) to self help books for adults. At the Flipkart these audio files have been made available to be heard by anyone who wishes to do so.

Audio books are a boon to the visually impaired as well. Now one can listen to a book while jogging, cooking, walking, travelling. The book, compressed to an mp3 format doesn't have to add bulk to your luggage but be a file on your phone, i pad, tablet etc.