If the idea of surrounding yourself with books gives you a throwback feel and comfort, then the ongoing New Delhi World Book Fair is where you should be. People trotted around with a baggage of books purchased from the fair, including several titles by evergreen authors. Many of them expressed their happiness at the arrangements made at the festival. “We had less cash with us but it was a relief to see that almost all the stalls are accepting cards. There is also a mobile ATM van and I think sufficient arrangements have been made for a hassle-free fair,” said Ankush Bhatia, a visitor.

The theme of this year is Manushi, focussing on writings on and by women, from ancient times till the present. The Pavilion had an impressive ambience, decked with hoardings and posters of women scholars and writers. “We have a large collection of works by women. Some of them are in Hindi and Urdu, while others are in English. And it came to us as a pleasant surprise that the buyers for these books are not only women but also the men. They all seem interested,” said Sandeep Ahuja from Surachna Publications. Over 600 books on and by women in different genres and in all major Indian languages were on display. Sandeep also told us that panels and posters of major women authors, saint-poets, philosophers, and social reformers belonging to the ancient medieval India as well as modern India will also be displayed.

“Out of all the languages, there has been an increase in sales for Urdu language books. Young students are finding the poetry and the Urdu literature very fascinating. Though compared to other language books, the sales are not very high but there has been an increase for sure,” said Alam Khan from Al-Sayeed Publications. Read more

Source: The Pioneer