JOIN USBangaloreans make a beeline for book fest
The jostling crowd at the ongoing ‘Bangalore Book Festival’ shows that buying books can never go out of vogue.
A regular visitor to the Bangalore book festival, Dr C Naganna, Professor of Comparative Literature and Director of Publication Division, Mysore University expressed happiness at the sight of seeing so many Bangaloreans buying books.
“It’s overwhelming to see kids and adults (including senior citizens) actively taking part in the event and buying the books. The three-day literature sessions that bought the
readers close to poets was equally heartening to watch,” he said.
According to Naganna, as long as books have a market, there will be takers in spite of modern technological advancements and the availability of ebooks on devices and the internet.
“Book lovers belong to a category of non-extinct species. I am not very pessimistic about the recent closures of book stores as they will survive just they have been all these years in this technology-driven world.”
Online vs real
Although many attendees spoke of the joys of reading a real book, several told Deccan Herald that they are more comfortable reading stories at the click of a mouse. Some, however, admitted that that technology has advantages and disadvantages.
“I sometimes read stories online as I do not get time to go to bookstores and browse the hardbacks. Few of my colleagues who have built-in-applications in their mobile phones, solely read stories and watch videos online,” said Soumya Bharti, a visitor to the festival.
Some writers; however, take exception to this dominance of online media. Regret Iyer, a writer and publisher, expressed the belief that printed books are far better than reading online versions.
‘Lacks authenticity’
“The percentage of the readers who are buying books has dipped off lately, but then, the good thing is that a major chunk of the population still continues to purchase books.
The technological advancement in the publishing world is a welcoming move. However, the printed version books certainly have an edge over the online versions as the latter lacks authenticity at times,” he said.
Printed books also make good gifts during special occasions such as birthdays, felicitation ceremonies and other functions.
According to Iyer, printed books have the ability to filter through society.
“Sometimes I see people leaving their books at buses and other public spaces once they finish reading them. Inquisitive onlookers and readers do pick up those books and read them. Printed books have the ability to be passed on to generations which, unfortunately, online versions cannot do,” he said.
An owner from a reputed book store conceded that at times there are ups and downs in sales depending on the prevailing demand and market situation.
“Unlike printed materials, e-versions don’t have stocking parameters and have a short lifespan. Looking into these factors, I feel that books will continue to rule the bookshelves and stores,” he added.
A kind of good feel that bibliophiles achieve when they browse through aisles and finally lay their hands on the book of their choice is priceless. Book fairs gives opportunity for readers to witness a range of diverse books of varied languages all under one roof and if they are lucky, a chance to meet their favourite authors.