Kids’ books, fiction popular at Bangalore Book Festival

Thousands of book lovers are visiting this year’s Bangalore Book Festival at the Palace Grounds.

From novels to biographies to textbooks, it has something for everyone, with about 280 stalls welcoming book lovers at the week-long event.

Hosted by the Bangalore Booksellers and Publishers Association, the event is now in its 14th edition. It is the first in three years after a hiatus.

Association member K G Srikanth says stalls selling fiction and children’s books are among the more popular ones this year.

He has seen with delight visitors taking home multiple bags of new and used books. He expects the crowds to grow over the weekend.

“Even though we have things like the Internet and Kindle, people still love how books feel in the hand,” he says. A publisher and book lover himself, Srikanth says people come from all over Bangalore as well as places like Delhi and Chennai for the event.

There’s more than just books on offer, with cultural performances, food stalls, and visits from well-known artists adding to the action. The organisers are environment-conscious: they discourage plastic and promote cloth bags. They have set up water refill stations to help reduce plastic bottle waste. “Whatever we can do, we’re doing,” Srikanth says.

The Bangalore Book Festival is on till October 21.