Publishers, sellers ready to enthrall book lovers
BY OUR STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI, Sept 24: Every year, the Guwahati denizens end the year on an intellectual note as the city witnesses a stream of book fairs starting from end of September to December last. This year too it is no exception with the publishers and sellers along with the book lovers gear up for the forthcoming book fairs.
With northeast book fair followed by Guwahati book fair readers too are expecting to have a gala time in the company of their favourite books.
Bhavani books, situated at Panbazar, is getting their books ready. Among a range of previous publications, an array of new novels would hit the stands. This year’s publications in the assamese section are Siphung-Gugang by Birendra th Dutta, Desh Kalor Gadya by Soumarjit Mahanta, Dharma aru Bigyan by Prosebjit Choudhuri, Sagorar Pare Pare by Thaneshwar Malakar, Singha Dwar by BhaskarThakuria. The English section would include novels like Life Skills by John Parankimalil, Inspiratiol stories for purposeful living, Vol 2 by the same writer, Nine Years Beyond The Patkai by Modan M Sarma and Sanjib Sahoo and Aspects of modern assamese by Madhumita Barbora.
“Book fairs go fairly well for us every year. We are able to sell the new and the old books. Both the kind of books does fairly well in book fairs. Also among the new Jourlist Mril Talukdar’s Assam, 1962 and Motom are among the best sellers”, owner Bhabani Books Krish Kamal Duwarah said.
Another Publication house, Rekha Publications, have wide varities of fiction, non-fiction, classic, contemporary etc. mainly in Assamese language in their pocket. Two religious books called Devi Pujar Dev Devi hokol and Saam Ved, assamese translation by Thaneshwar Sharma, Vidyarthir Akhomia Abhidhan by Presh Baishya and Bahurupi by Ranju Hazarika are amongst the new.
The publishers like M.R., Balata, R.G., Jyoti, Akhor are getting their lists ready and they are of view of drawing one book list by the end of the month.
It is also seen that some of the booksellers and publishers are abandoning the upcoming north-east book fair due to high stall rents, they usually do a single book fair in a year.
“Guwahati book fair is sponsored by Government, so the stall rent is cheap but north-east book fair has high stall rents and it has increased by rupees 2000 since last year. Moreover we have more sale here than in book fairs,” a seller of a certain book store said.
“We have kept the rent reasoble. It is rupees 14 per square feet. There is a negligible increase since last year. It is upon their wish if they don’t want to participate moreover some of the publishers and booksellers sell second hand books,” All Assam Publishers and Booksellers Association working President Haren Kalita said.
Many of the publishers are also of the view that with the increase in rise of e-books facility people hardly visit the fairs mainly for novels. And that young people search for course books rather than books out of their curriculum due to the pressure of the academic needs.