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Fair for bookworms

Widely read
Last Updated 08 September 2011, 12:59 IST
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Bangaloreans could enjoy this literary fare at the book exhibition called ‘World of Books’, which is on till September 11 at Tripura Vasini, Palace Grounds. This has been organised by Bangalore University in collaboration with Indya Comics. Says PV Konnur, University Librarian, “The main purpose of organising such a fair is to throw light on books that not many people know about. It is also with the view to encourage the habit of reading among the people, especially the youth. We are very happy with the response so far which has encouraged us to have another one next year on a much larger scale.”

With over 260 bookstores offering discount sales on a wide range of books, the place has a lot in store for every type of book reader. The books that are on display range from fictions, non-fictions to self-help books, cookery books, reference books and encyclopedias. Right from novels by popular names like Dan Brown and Jeffery Archer to even books that you normally can’t get your hands on, everything is available right under one roof. In addition to this, there are a plenty of stalls selling illustrative children’s books and also text books and reference books. So it is a place where books of all genres and languages for different age groups are made easily available.

Of the many stalls, there are a few that are offering attractive discounts to the customers. Says Akhila, a housewife, “I always love book exhibitions because you do not have to travel far for the various books that you want to buy. It makes everything so much simpler as everything is just a walk away. If this was not an incentive enough, there are stores that give discounts too. So I have come prepared to buy a whole lot of books for my family.”

Such fairs are helpful even for the store owners as it opens up various avenues for them in terms of customer base groups. Says Vibhor Solanki, manager of Oxford Bookstore, “This is an ideal way for store owners to promote their books and also to get more customers. Since it is open to everybody, it brings in a lot of potential customers too.”

Other than books in English, there are Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi books also available from book owners across the country. These vernacular books are in  demand too. Says Yellapa, of Uyirmmai Pathippagam, a stall dedicated to Tamil literature, “We have a collection of all the classics in Tamil literature. We had many customers coming to us saying that getting Tamil books in the City is not that easy. This fair has been helpful even for us to make ourselves known outside our own state.” Another store Jnaneshwari Publications is the only stall which has Malayalam books on display. Comprising of original works by some famous Malayalam authors and also translations, the store boasts of names like Mridula Garg, Rabindranath Tagore, Sigmund Freud, Osho etc in Malayalam.

Other than books, there are a few stalls selling audio CDs like Lahari Records Company and Prathiksha Digital Recordings. They have a good collection of Kannada bhavageethe, janapadageethe and carnatic instrumentals. This book fair has something for everyone and those with a love for books can surely have a gala time sifting through the well-stocked collection.

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(Published 08 September 2011, 12:59 IST)

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