Book fair adds to festive spirit: Dibrugarh Grantha Mahotsav 2018

A Correspondent

Dibrugarh: Dibrugarh Grantha Mahotsav, 2018, organized by Khoj Assam at the Chowkidinghee Field entered its third day on Thursday.

With bookshop owners from Assam as well as other parts of India laying out their stalls, the book fair has witnessed a fair share of footfall so far. Moreover, one can find different kinds of books, covering all genres as well as many languages.

However, the business has nosedived over the years, rued many stall owners while talking to The Sentinel. One of the shopkeepers, who wanted to stay anonymous said, “Book fairs are no longer the craze they used to be. There was a time when both elderly and youngsters used to look forward to such an event with much anticipation; but the advent of e-commerce has caused great damage.” Another shopkeeper of a Kolkata-based stall named ‘Ostrich’ remarked, “Things aren’t turning out as expected. The comparative demand is clearly on a downward trajectory. However, since this event has coincided with the Durga Puja season, we are expecting more a number of people to turn up in the days to ensue.” Along with the book stalls, the event is also acting as a platform for many talented people to give expression to their talent in the form of poems and dance, among other forms of creativity.