From the Director… From the Chairman
Transcription
From the Director… From the Chairman
1 From the Chairman... I From the Director… I would like to congratulate all exhibitors, am happy to say that the New Delhi World Book students, teachers and book lovers for their Fair 2015 that concludes today was an event participation at the New Delhi World Book Fair of great success. It was an honour that the Fair ’15. The Focus Country concept this year, has been was inaugurated by Ms. Smriti Zubin Irani, Hon’ble much appreciated. It helps in strengthening the Minister for HRD, who spent a considerable amount cultural ties within two countries. The Rights Table of time with us. I am also thankful to Mr. Satya N. saw a good participation of publishers and served as Mohanty, Secretary, Dept. of Higher Education, MHRD, who took time to go around the Fair and appreciated our a perfect platform for buying and selling of rights. Lot of personalities from different walks of life – like authors, efforts. Our efforts in the last few years have not only created an enhanced illustrators, musicians, film makers, etc – found a good platform visibility but have also enabled a larger participation not only from to address the people at the designated Author's Corners. This year the stakeholders of the publishing industry, but also from the authors, we added new activity corner within Foreign Pavilion to facilitate the participants and foreign cultural institutes in India to showcase scholars and the general public. For the first time in the history of the New Delhi World Book Fair their literary contents and introduce their activities. To promote we have been able to bring to focus some of the fine writings from Indian languages books, we have been offering free participation to the Northeast region. The Theme Pavilion which hosted many of the associations of publishers in each Indian language. We are satisfied because lot of young people have started coming discussions threw light on various aspects of its literature, people and culture. Many writers, scholars, sports personalities, folk performers to the book fair, which is a good sign as youngsters bring in more people as well as film makers participated in the many conversations and to the fair. It has become a fashion among youngsters to visit the fair. This time, we have used a lot of social media for promoting the fair, besides using interactions held at the Pavilion. The business events like CEOSpeak and Rights Table were very FM Channel, DMRC branding, DD News scrollers, etc. Even the branding successful creating a healthy impact among the publishers and literary sites were calculatedly chosen to draw more visitors to the show. There agents. Going beyond the books, the Fair hosted hundreds of authors is lesser participation from the librarians from government schools and both established and emerging who enthusiastically participated in colleges as the purchasing power is less in their hands. Universities and UGC need to sanction higher interactive sessions with the visitors. These and other budgets for the libraries. DWBF today, has emerged as one of the premier calendar events in the book discussions and debates lent an Though, it is heartening to see world. The distinctive feature of NDWBF, and what makes it stand apart from intellectual air to the Fair. many public schools making other big book fairs across the world, is the enthusiastic participation of people. This year we were happy significant purchases at this Hundreds and thousands of visitors during the nine days of the Fair not only makes to host Singapore as Guest book fair. But, our targets it celebratory but is also heartening, clearly putting at rest the perception of Country and Korea as Focus are very high. We still feel the printed word in decline. Over 500 writers, Country. They brought to need to achieve a lot to make academicians, trade visitors, Right agents Indian readers some of their it a truly international fair and the many dignitaries as visitors contemporary writings and by roping in more trade and or in discussion made the Fair much writers. The many literary international visitors. meaningful. The over 1,000 participants programmes and talks that I take this opportunity to including 30 from abroad, together made took place at the Foreign the Fair an equally delightful treat of thank ITPO, the Co-organiser books and events. Pavilion, I am sure, will go a of the Fair, and the Ministry There are no real endings… While long way in strengthening our of HRD, Government of we bid you good bye, we also welcome relationship, cooperation and India for their wholehearted you to the next edition of the New Delhi cultural links. support in making this book World Book Fair to be held from January 9 to 17, 2016. Same venue. Interested I am also grateful to Delhi event a great success. I also participants may keep in touch with NBT @ website www.nbtindia.gov.in Metro for making available thank all the publishers’ tickets to the Fair at their federations, Doordarshan, stations, which greatly facilitated the general visitors an easy acces to Sahitya Akademi, Lalit Kala Akademi, Sahitya Kala Parishad, Delhi the Fair. Metro Rail Corporation and other media partners for their support. Once again I thank all stakeholders for making this Fair a great success. Books are our heroes and will never fade away from our memories. A. Sethumadhavan, MA Sikandar, Director, Chairman, NBT India National Book Trust, India N 2 Cinematic Voices from the Northeast India T “I have been writing for nearly 5 decades now. I wrote my first story from barsati in Karol Bagh and my short story was based in the context of famine of Bihar,” said Shri Sethumadhavan, Chairman NBT at the release of his book - A Guest For Arundhati And Other Stories published by Palmsest Publishers. “I started writing without any idea of how to write and since I didn’t know the rules of the game, so I made my own rules,” he added. Earlier Dr Harish Khare, former Media Advisor of the Indian Prime Minister and eminent journalist, in his address, said that he found the stories very engrossing. Shri Sethumadhavan is a former banker and very eminent short story writer and novelist and currently chairman NBT. His books have been translated in many languages in India and abroad. Manipuri film Ishanou he concluding panel discussion of the New Delhi World Book Fair at the Theme Pavilion was on ‘Legends, Conflict and Literature: Cinematic Voices from the Northeast India’. The discussion was moderated by Jahnu Barua, eminent film maker, and the panelists included Utpal Borpujari and Wanphrang Diengdoh. Jahnu Barua who made his debut with ‘Aparoopa’ in 1982 is one of India’s most-respected film makers. A socially-committed filmmaker, he is consistently making films with subjects that focus on various social and humane issues. He has recently been honored with the Padma Bushan by Government of India. Few of his acclaimed films include ‘Hkhagoroloi Bohu Door’, ‘Papori’, ‘Haladhiya Choraye Baodhan Khai’ and ‘Baandhon’. Jahnu Barua opened the discussion with a brief history of cinema of the region which was initiated in Assam by Jyoti Prasad Aggarwalla in 1931. In the order of cinematic history in Northeast, cinema in Manipur started in 1972. The Northeast is a reservoir of many talents especially of art and culture. However, cinema did not develop the way it today has due to lack of financial constraints. Today, the younger generation is coming out with a lot of fresh ideas and stories. There are so many stories to tell from various perspectives which bring out the diverse stories of the region. I shanou is a movie based on a story written by legendary Manipuri writer M.K. Binodini Devi. Set in the backdrop of the Maibi or priestess cult, it is the story of a sudden transformation of a gentle young wife into a violent woman who slowly finds solace in the vivid and colorful performing arts. It is a classic in Manipuri cinema and the only movie from the Northeast of India to be screened in the official selection of the Cannes Film Festival in 1991. The director Aribam Syam Sharma is one of the most revered filmmakers in India whose films reflect his deep commitment towards Manipuri art, literature and culture. Utpal Borpujari, a national award winning film critic and senior journalist, whose foray from journalism into movie making came as a natural progression to narrate stories in a bigger way. The documentary format makes it more conducive to include things that may be difficult to portray in fiction. Exoticizing the Northeast also enhances the underlying conflicts. It is a beautiful locale but the stories may not be beautiful as the place. We may find the pristine locale, peaceful, beautiful people but their socio-economic and political turmoil may be something totally in contrast with the kind of beauty around them. Wanphrang Diengdoh is an upcoming, independent and a radical filmmaker based in Shillong and Delhi. His films include ‘19/87’ and ‘Where the Clouds End’. His music videos reflect his interest in the politics and culture of his hometown Shillong, Meghalaya. He began by raising the question on what makes the film made in Northeast significant. Or rather what makes a film politically significant? Films are also responsible in a big way for creating stereotypes. The agenda for curatorship of ideas and views also lie in the hands of filmmakers from the region. We have to move on from anthropological subjects. Things must be portrayed in a more realistic way rather than only an appropriate way. Shared areas of commonality necessarily do not have to be peaceful; it also does not have to be violent. The discussion also looked at issues of censorship, certification, distribution and reception, following which there was a lively interaction with the audience. Wish you all are here again! Dear all, It has been a privilege for team Show Daily to serve you all through the nine days of New Delhi World Book Fair 2015. We have in all earnest tried to put together a comprehensive picture of NDWBF 2015 capturing in snapshots the various events and activities to the maximum possible extent. We look forward to meeting you all again next year with the same zeal and of course new reads. –Team Show Daily 3 Manipuri Martial Arts by Panthoibi Thang-Ta and Jaoi Sindam Shanglen, Manipur T hang Ta’ is a popular term for the ancient Manipuri martial art known as ‘Huyen Lallong’. In ancient times battles were common. The art of using swords and spears were main weapons of warfare. According to Meitei mythology, Guru Ting-Sidaba’s limb and ribs are believed to turn into many kinds of swords and weapons which defend the Meitei people. Raju Singh Laishram and his team consisting of Radhamohon Sapam, Govind Akhom, Gopen Khumanthem, Kh. Pravin, N. Bidyasagar, L. Bidyarani Devi, M. Ranjita Devi, S. Anjubala Devi, Geeta Oinam brought the audience to the edge of their seats with their captivating performance at the Theme Pavilion. The performance started off with Leiteng Haiba, a decorative sword play involving the use of two swords by a warrior in such a manner that is devised to protect the warrior from all sides. Next was Thanglon Chatpa from which all steps of Thang-Ta are derived. Thangsang-Ani-Yannaba is an actual sword fight duel where each opponent attacked the other ferociously with a set of two swords. In times of war, Manipuri women also participated in battles to aid their men. Thangsang-Singoi-Yannaba shows how fiercely women fight against their opponent. She disarms her opponent and puts him in a corner. In one moment she loses her sword but swiftly manages to snatch her opponent’s sword and defeats him with it. Thangsang-Ani-Yannaba is a duel of two female warriors who are ferocious, dangerous, beautiful and graceful at the same time. Strict Code of Conduct is observed by each warrior of this discipline. Removal of shoes before entering the Thang-Ta school or SingnamSang, respect to the Gurus is one of the basic tenets. The training rooms must be cleaned and sprinkled with water for purification before every practice session. The weapons are regularly cleaned and maintained to preserve sanctity. The weapon must never touch the feet. If it happens accidentally, then he must perform a cleansing ritual by touching the weapon with his finger tips and then his forehead. Next performance was Thangpak-Ani-Yannaba, an exciting and powerful duel between two male warriors with broad swords. These skills are not only used in warfare but also to protect oneself in forests while on quest or travels. Thangsang-Ahum-Yannaba, an extreme and intense duel of three warriors fighting each other at the same time. Two female warriors and one male warrior fighting against each other, a display of extreme agility, grace and discipline in the strokes and movements of the warrior. Thang-Ta was strictly prohibited during the British rule to suppress the might of the Meiteis. However, passionate practitioners relentlessly kept it alive. The last performance was Thang-Ta, a spear and sword duel between two male warriors. A glorious display of male prowess and adroitness left the audience spellbound. Rizali W. Indrakesuma, Ambasssador of the Republic of Indonesia and Dr Sadhna Raut, ADG, Publications Division, visited the Foreign Pavilion. Captivating performances by children T he enactment of stories based on Panchatantra by differentlyabled children of Bee Hive School, Kirti Nagar was applauded by the visitors at the Children’s Pavilion. The children gave the message of peace, unity, wisdom and courage. The session was organized by National Book Trust, India in association with Jiwan Books. On this occasion, the Panchatantra series in Hindi and English was released. Shri A Sethumadhavan, Chairman, NBT India and Shri R Ramachandran, Executive Director, National Book Development Council of Singapore were also present on the occasion. Later, a storytelling session was organized by NBT and British Council at the Pavilion. In this session, Story of a Scarecrow, authored by Shri Suddhasattwa Basu was narrated to the children. Today, being the mother-tongue day, the children were asked to define the word ‘scarecrow’ in their own language. Through activity, the children were also introduced to the use of metaphors and similies in sentences. An interesting game Book Bingo was organized at the Children’s Pavilion. The event was coordinated by Consortium Octet. In this session children were asked questions about books, poets and novelists. The children participated in this activity with enthusiasm. In the evening, the artists of Kala Sanskriti demonstrated how to sketch, draw and paint. They got the visitors acquainted with the process and techniques involved in drawing sketches. They said that, “We have come here not only to show art but also promote books.” Ms Sangeeta Raj coordinated the event. 4 Launch of the Hindi translation of Don Quixote Art of storytelling organized by British Council n order to promote the Spanish literature and culture, a launching event of the book Don Quixote was organised by Instituto Cervantes, New Delhi, at the Events Corner. Don Quixote or The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha is an original Spanish novel written by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra in 1605. This book is about the adventures of a nameless Hidalgo who reads so many chivalric novels that he loses his sanity and decides to set out to revive chivalry, undo wrongs, and bring justice to the world, under the name Don Quixote. The book, translated into Hindi by Dr. Vibha Maurya, is considered to be the world’s second most widely read book after the Bible. While launching the book, Professor Hari Mohan Sharma put forward his personal views about this great classic book. He said, “This book will benefit the students of literature and anyone interested in Spanish culture and literary trends.” The translator added that through this book the Indian readers will get to know more about Don Quixote. In the end, Dr. Vibha Maurya read some lines from the book. said a broom chika boom…Ms. Nupur Awasthi opened the session on the ‘Art of Storytelling’ on an enthusiastic note. The session was conducted by British Council, New Delhi. As Ms. Nupur narrated stories in a dramatized manner, it mesmerized the children present in the session. She narrated the story of Maliyang and the Magic Paint Brush. She involved children to participate in her art of storytelling by asking them a few questions related to the stories she narrated and gifted them small gifts. She conducted an energy drill too and everyone took an active part in it. According to Ms. Nupur, “Storyteller is to be seen as a good role model and people must inculcate the habit of reading by taking membership in libraries and they must see themselves as a good reader.” She added, “We must not only read but understand the things as well. We all must enjoy telling a story.” She ended on a note, urging children to take interest in reading and telling stories. I Children’s Workshop with Vinitha Ramachandran@Singapore Pavilion A n engaging event was organised at the Singapore pavilion with the delightful Vinitha Ramachandran, a Mumbai-based author who writes books for children. While interacting with the audience she said, “Children accept magic and fantasies.” During the event, she narrated a story she has written, Why the Neem grew bitter? And she bedazzled the audience with her lucid expressions and narrative style. Her books are available at Amazon and alternative e-book stores. I The fourth edition of ‘Aameen’, a collection of ghazals written by Alok Srivastava and published by Rajkamal Prakashan was formally launched by Namvar Singh and Javed Akhtar. Vartika Nanda moderated the event. ‘Kah Dhakar Kavirai’ by Hemant Kumar and ‘Thahaka Express’ by Mahesh Garg Bedharak books the collections of laughter poems published by Diamond Books were released by Ashok Chakradhar in Hall 8. Malayalam book ‘Salabhayanam’ written by Dr Joy Vazhyil was launched in a programme organised by Sahitya Pravartaka Co-operative Society at Sahitya Manch in Hall 8. Many eminent authors, poets and writers were present at the occasion. Poets also read their poems in Malayalam. Book release function of 'Naye Daur Ka Naya Cinema' By Priyadarshan, editor NDTV published by Vani Prakashan. A discussion on ‘Swami Vivekanand Ka Nari Darshan’ organized by Vindhya News Network 5 Hindi readership is increasing: Dr Kumar Vishwas D r Kumar Vishwas was at the stall of Diamond Books for the release of the hard bound edition of his book ‘Koi Diwana Kahta hai’, a collection of poems in Hindi. The crowd at the stall got signed copies by Kumar Vishwas. Talking to Show Daily he said, “Organization of Book Fairs is an old tradition and people interestingly come to visit the fair. Inspite of competition with digital the number of physical book lovers is increasing day by day and the Book Fairs like NDWBF are catering their needs. One good thing is that Hindi’s readership is rapidly increasing.” “Rupa Publications is not just about books…it’s about being best in the business” - Says Kapish Mehra, MD, Rupa Publications India in conversation with Smita Dwivedi K apish, the third generation in the business is proud of the legacy that he is taking forward and is all set to write a new chapter of success! On asking about his journey so far, he added, “This Company was started by my grandfather in 1936. So, I have an advantage of experience and understandings of my father and grandfather about the business. At the same time, I have an added responsibility to match their levels of perfection. As today, I am looking after all the verticals of Rupa.” “The books we are publishing now should appeal to readers and bibliophiles everywhere,” he shared. That is one of the reasons company is focusing more on tier 2 and tier 3 cities not just metros. “Our books are available from Kashmir to Kanya Kumari. A book lover from remote states of Northeast, down south or west has an access to our books,” he added. “During last year we launched a series celebrating the writings of the great masters of Indian literature: Timeless Malgudi: The Very Best of R.K. Narayan, the first book to be published, anthologies featuring the works of Ruskin Bond and Abdul Kalam. With the wide selection of great books we’re publishing, we hope to entertain, engage, move and delight our readers…always,” he further added. Rupa’s authors range from heavyweights like Chetan Bhagat, whose non-fiction book What Young India Wants sold 500,000 copies in a day, according to the company, to debutant Varun Agarwal, whose book How I Braved Anu Aunty and Co-Founded A Million-Dollar Company came off the slush pile and sold out its first print run of 20,000 copies within weeks. So, on enquiring about the exemplary publishing phenomena of Chetan Bhagat, he shared, “I was only 17, when I first read Chetan’s Five Point Someone, I immediately called my dad and asked him to increase print run of this book as it would a bestseller for sure and rest is history, as we all know.” Asking about diversification plans, he added, “Rupa Publications India has launched Maven, its business imprint. Maven publishes the most ambitious and essential books on business and economics, spanning the widest possible range-from leadership and entrepreneurship, business strategy and marketing, personal finance and investing to economic policy and public finance. Original and thought-provoking, these books will change the way business books are conceived, written and published in the country.” Panel discussion on Asian and sub-continent children’s literature I t is well said, “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” Mr. R. Ramachandran chaired the Asian and SubContinent Children’s Literature: Panel Discussion. He opened the session with the remark on the importance of developing good reading habit since childhood. Ms. Sayoni Basu who has worked with many children’s books publishers for the last 15 years said that, “The purpose of books is to educate children whether implicit or explicit. We do read books for pleasure but somewhere we are reluctant to tell children the value of books.” Atanu Roy, a well known illustrators for children’s books added, “It is good to inculcate reading habit but we should not force children to read. It is child’s own perception to view a book from different angle.” The question whether to impose reading on children was widely discussed. Another point of discussion was how to create interest in children to read. Many parents in the audience spoke of how they dealt with their children to read books. Interestingly, Mr. R. Ramachandran gave the example of how Singapore tries to attract its mass to read by building libraries in shopping malls and making it a place where hub of activities like meeting friends over cups of coffee, interacting, discussions, etc. happened in the libraries. The interactive discussion concluded on a note that children should be allowed to develop reading habits by exposing books to them but not imposing them to read. Also, publishers, writers and authors should publish good books that will incite children to enjoy reading. Happy Reading! 6 When Religion Knocked on the Door I ndia is a nation that awakens to the chimes of the temple bells and the call of the muezzin at the crack of dawn. A nation where even whispers echo the song of praises to God, and where every new car is blessed by the priest before being driven. Our religion is our inner strength, and the world of publishing is no stranger to the cognizance that is given to it by Indian readers. As publishers explore what is probably the most provocatively enticing theme in Indian reading today, Shruti Kochhar substantiates the current trends. Gita Press, Gorakhpur is a leading publication of religious titles. Their monthly magazine, Kalayana Kalpataru has ardent subscribers in every major city of the country. With a collection of 18 Puranas, 11 Upanishads, over five hundred short stories and a wide range of mythologies, they not only cater to the elderly but also have books for children written in over 50 Indian languages and dialects. The Islamic Foundation Trust, is another coveted publication that prints religious titles in Arabic, Tamil, English as well as Urdu. Their titles exemplify religious teachings from the Holy Quran. CPS International offers free copies of Quran in English, Hindi and Urdu for interested readers. The spiritual touch to this consecration surrounding the NDWBF '15 is supplemented by Osho Dhara. "The spirituality that captivates you when you step into the 'Osho' stall in hall number 11 is insurmountable", says a fellow devotee. Osho's books not only talk about meditation and healing, they also ponder upon moving closer to God and finding inner peace. Some of their popular titles are 'on life and death' and 'dancing your way to god.' Urim Books from South Korea presents Rev. Dr Jaerock Lee’s spiritual books which have been published in 59 languages. Some of the other stalls that sell books on spirituality include Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee Amritsar on Sikhism; Islamic Information Centre, Darul Eshaat-emustafai, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat on Islam; and Vishwa Jain Sangathan on Jainism. As people struggle to find inner peace and introspect, the religiousness besieging the Bookfair brings them one step closer to home. Amen. 7 Persian artist @ NDWBF I dream my painting and I paint my dream -Vincent Ven Gong. During NDWBF 2015, the Iran Pavilion is showcasing an exquisite range of paintings of a Persian artist, Ms. Zeynab Abdi’s, which is a delightful blend of colours and wide variety of thoughts. When asked, Ms. Zeynab Abdi said that she has been in the art of painting since the age of three. She has encapsulated in her paintings a wide range of themes like nature’s serene beauty, portraits and landscapes. One of her paintings displayed is based on Impressionism in which she depicts the theme, ‘Rain has many colours’. Another painting depicts that people start from darkness and then finally they lead their life to brightness. Ms. Zeynab Abdi also painted a picture of a mother who is caring for her child in her womb and nature is taking care of her. Most of her paintings show different scenes of Iran. Her thoughts, ideas and imagination reflected in her paintings give the essence of what a good artist must have. Chunk of engineering books from SK Kataria & Sons C ivil, mechanical, production and electrical engineering books fill the stand of SK Kataria & Sons in Hall 14. In addition to the company’s existing range of titles are some new releases as well as some soon-to-be-released books highlighted at the stand. “A textbook of Basic Drawing for Architect and Civil Engineers by VB Sikka is one of the highly demanded engineering books at our stand,” indicates Harkesh Gupta of SK Kataria & Sons. Its all in the mind! Areef Khan helping a kid in glass walk. The Hush Hush World of Wordless Text L ife in Five Seconds : Over 200 stories For Those With No Time To Waste is an innovative idea of a book conceived by Matteo Civaschi and Gimmarco Milesi. This book narrates the history of 20 century history in an ingenious style that uses pictograms. The picto-narrative includes major events like world wars, holocaust, major inventions and cultural icons. There are sections on Adolf Hitler, Cuban Missile Crisis, Pulp Fiction, Harry Potter, Buddha, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa and even Global Warming. Winner of the Cannes Lions Bronze Award for design in 2013, ‘Life in Five Seconds’ is a witty and provocative book that sheds excessive and useful details for those whose attention span is short and are jet fuelled by five second celebrity status. At Taschen stall housed at the Foreign Pavilion one can see a small red book written by Yang Lui, through pictograms and titled Man Meets Woman. The book presents a visual documentary on the subject of communication between men and women. Beautifully produced the book wordlessly tells you this story. For a generation that increasingly uses emoticons, that come in all possible nuances of expression, and says much more than words, these books could be the future. But at book launches, readings could become more dramatic! 8 Kids find dreamland at Parragon’s stand A Sterling releases new Pepper series story book licensee of Walt Disney, Parragon in Hall 1A put up its stand dwelling almost every cartoon character a kid must adore. Name it any, 800 activity books on Mermaid, Mickey, Ninja Turtle, among many others, are what the company present to attract kids. “Apart from the play and activity books, we have a complete range of encyclopedia, famous people, etc,” mentions Ganesh Singh, GM-sales, Parragon Publishing India Private Limited. P Exhibitor says... W ith the ongoing trend of reduced interest in book reading, lesser foot falls specially from African countries at NDWBF '15, Mr. A.S. Chowdhry, Managing Director, Chowdhry Export House/Goodwill Books International cautions the book trade to take necessary steps in order to keep going. Though he is confident that inspite of book business slowing down, it will not vanish. epper Makes A Special Friend, latest in the Pepper pocketbook series, was launched by Sterling Publishers. Written in a comic format to encourage the spirit of disabled children, overall theme, concept and storyline in the book is closely connected to the real life of differently-abled Nipun Malhotra, executive director, Nipman Fastener Industries Pvt Ltd. While talking to Show Daily, Nipun says the book is his attempt to change people’s attitude towards disabled children.” Dr MA Sikandar, who attended the book launch session, expressed his encouragement to Nipun and entire team involved in production of the book. SK Ghai of Sterling said, “Pepper is a very own Indian cartoon character introduced in 2004 and now recognised all across the globe.” He further mentioned that Walt Disney could make its characters popular all over the world, why not Sterling and Nipman? Schoolbooks galore @ Evergreen Publications P opular K-12 textbooks shelving among the 15000 books at the stand of Evergreen Publications attract academia, parents and others roaming in Hall 1A. “Our latest released Candid series books titled New Trends in GK and Go Creative cast major attraction in our display at the stand,” says Yash Pal Vasdev, area manager-mkg, Evergreen Publications (India) Ltd. Mani Bhushan Prasad is a student in Delhi. A school topper, he ventured into writing and became an author of the book ‘The Mummy Mystery’, a romantic thriller, which he introduced at the Author’s Corner at the NDWBF '15. 10 Hall 8, 9, 10 and 11 Hall 1 R and 1 A Hall 6 Hall 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D and 7E 11 FLOOR/STANDS PLAN Pragati Maidan, New Delhi METRO STATION Hall 12 and 12A Hall 14 12 Publishers need to explore the possibility of digital printing Go crazy about reading at Amazon.in njana Saha, national business and marketing manager, Ricoh India Ltd, who was present at the NDWBF yesterday, shares the importance of digital printing in book publishing industry. Print on demand is gradually making inroads in the book publishing industry. “Short-run general books publishing is becoming popular now. Besides, we are targeting the vernacular publishers, where the print runs are small. We are expecting very good business from the regional publishers. For children books, which need lot of colourful high quality images, digital printing is the best solution,” shares Anjana Saha. Anjana also informed that Ricoh India has recently sold a couple of machines to publishers like Navneet Publications, Bharat Law House, Karnataka Law house, Repro India, Manipal Technologies, etc. “Besides, there are many installations at digital printers who have publishers as their main clients,” she said. “Offset and digital printing will co-exist but demand for digital will increase in multiples for Print on Demand and for offset, it will be stagnant. The future for book publication is inkjet as there is lot of improvement in quality of print, the resolutions have increased and so has the ink quality. Book publishers need to explore the print on demand option as the concept of warehousing is getting diminished with the print-run getting smaller and smaller. Apart from that, they do not necessary have to install a machine at their site but can explore the possibility of going through a service providers or through OEMs,” she concludes. ooks have been at the core of Amazon.in (hall-6 stall 187211) since its inception and in their endeavor to fulfill all needs of book lovers they have set up a stall at the New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF). At the Amazon.in Stall, you can browse and buy books from over 1000 publishers across genres and languages, order them from the stall and have them delivered at your doorstep. Also get additional discount on a wide selection of books when you place the order at the stall. A B One can also experience Kindle devices and the world of e-reading. Visitors can get exciting offers on Kindle eReaders and books at the stall. One can download the Amazon Shopping app and get a Café Coffee Day voucher for a free cappuccino along with a coupon for discount on Books. Prominent authors like Surendra Mohan Pathak and Rajdeep Sardesai will be visiting the stall and spending time with their fans at the venue. Visitors can also participate in the Amazon #CrazyAboutReadingPhoto Contest. They can click their pics at fun photo booths, tweet them with the #CrazyAboutReading hashtag and get a chance to win Amazon.in GiftCards worth Rs.500 each day. And that’s not all, if one wants to publish one's own book on kindle and be a seller on Amazon.in then all they have to do is visit Amazon.in stall and get all information. The book 'Bastar is Speaking' written by Rajaram Tripati and published by Prakashan Sansthan was launched by Prof. Varyam Singh. Repro India organised a panel discussion amongst global leaders on the sidelines of NDWBF '15 where publishers from Africa also participated. 13 Katha launches three books for children Academic combo @ A2Z Teaching and Learning Solutions enowned illustrator Atanu Roy’s three illustrated children books were launched at the Children’s Pavilion by Katha, an organisation which works for education and publishes book for children. On the occasion dignitaries were present included Atanu Roy, Shashi Sethi, SK Khurana, Manas Ranjan Mahapatra and others. SK Khurana, editor of All About Book Publishing appreciated the ne of the exhibitors showing a comprehensive range of primary school books is A2Z Teaching and Learning Solutions in Hall 1A. The company has put up more than 3000 titles of school textbooks for Kendriya Vidyalayas and various public schools across the country. “Teachers, librarians and general visitors show their strong interest in our displays,” mentions Anjana Singh, customer care, A2Z Teaching and Learning Solutions Pvt Ltd. R O Nita Mehta Books spotlights cookbooks print quality and use of colours in the books and said that a well printed book create interest among children. Kamal Pruthi, the storyteller, popular with the name of Kabuliwala, narrated the story based on these books for children with his own style of narration making the session an interactive activity between the audience and the storyteller. Children enjoyed the activity greatly. Youngsters visit PM Publications P ublisher of the ever popular Rapidex English Speaking Course, PM Publishers attracts young crowd looking for books on careers and general studies to its stand. “Aap Bhi IAS Ban Sakte Hai is one of our latest releases, which many young competitive exam aspirants around the fair pick up so enthusiastically,” says Tara Chand of PM Publications. In addition to the career-oriented books at the company’s stand are some popular titles on biographies, motivations, etc. Sahitya Akademi showcases precious books S howing its timeless range of regional books from across the length and breadth of the country, Satitya Akademi presents one of the richest treasures of Indian literature at NDWBF ’15. Showcasing at the company’s stand, pulling wave of crowd to the displays, are some translated works among which is Draupadi by Yarlagadda Laskmi Prasad. Translated from Telugu to English by KV Purneswara Rao, this Sahitya Akedemi Award winning novel is in demand among visitors at the fair. The Akademi at its stand also announces its Festival of Letters (March 9-14, 2015), a week-long festival of Indian literature, to be held in New Delhi. R estaurateurs, housewives, hobbyists and more are found buzzing around the stand of Nita Mehta Books. Some of the latest releases, such as Nita Mehta’a Cookbook for Festivals of India, Flavours of Indian Cooking, Cookbooks for Regional Cuisines of India, to mention a few, are some of the latest releases showing at the company’s stand. 14 RICOH Pro series digital machines push Prasad Printers into book printing T hough located in a tucked away town of Kulshekar, around few kilometers away from Mangalore, Prasad Printers is known widely for its excellence in printing that exclusively includes short-run book printing using a couple of versatile RICOH digital machines—Pro C751EX and Pro 907EX. “Over the past four decades, since my father established this firm in 1972, we have been in the vanguard of delivering quality prints,” says Tomas Patrao of Prasad Printers. In addition to commercial prints, Prasad Prints extensively engages in book and magazine printing too. Visitors’ Views "I feel people should read more and write less. Here, at book fair, I see so many books and new authors that it becomes very diificult to choose few books. I am buying many books, as I read a lot and ask my son to read even more. " –Dr Pritha Biswas "I am from Patna, and over there too we have a big book fair. I am regular to book fair for so many years. I feel books these days are getting costlier, so these fairs are very helpful as we get good discounts here. Moreover, Delhi has become city of distance, people here are too busy, they hardly interact with each other and I feel elated when I met so many like-minded people interacting with each other." –Dr Veena Srivastava, Ex Dean (Humanities) Patna University "Being at a book fair is a yearly ritual for me. I save money to buy books and wait for this NDWBF. I get all kinds of books… be it my course books or general reading books." –Titisksha, Student RICOH Pro C751EX (colour) and RICOH Pro 907EX (monochrome) in their production facility are competent industrial workhorses for book printing, which include magazines, tabloids and coffee table books, souvenirs. “We have been closely tied up with two of the city’s leading publishers for whom we print books on value education, moral science and religion using RICOH machines,” mentions Tomas. Handling the colour jobs, RICOH Pro C751EX runs at 75 ppm to deliver print in 1200 x 4800 dpi while RICOH Pro 907EX delivers in black and white. "Books have the invisible ability to change the mind set of people. It can be used to create revolution. I am happy to see them back in the hand of young people. If they are reading, we are definitely going to have better India." –Rajesh Rastogi, Bibliophile "This is the place, where we find solace. I feel great to see book flourishing. Otherwise, we talk so much about decrease in reading habits…all the time. It’s only here that we get to see positive, vibrant and most exciting world of book business." –Prof Nirmala Devi, DU “Overall fair is organised in an excellent way. I’m impressed to find some valuable books on security from overseas publishers put on display.” –S Suresh, Librarian cum Information Officer, Institute for Defense Studies & Analysis, New Delhi Complete kids’ range @ Goodwill Books International M ore than 1700 titles stressing on all topics and subjects for kids and young children are ranged at the stand of Goodwill Books International. Pre-school activities, colouring, games, puzzles, language learning guides and more pull young crowd to the company’s display during the fair. “In addition to the physical books we also offer soft versions of the contents available in CDs,” mentions AS Chowdhry, managing director, Goodwill Books International. 15 Meet Lakshmi – the author! Laxmi Narayan Tripathi: “I am a Hijria, I am Lakshmi”– a book about the life and times of Indian transgender activist Lakshmi Narayan Tripathi – translated from Marathi into English was released at NDWBF '15. Here, in conversation with Smita Dwivedi, she shares more about books. L axmi Narayan Tripathi is a transgender rights activist, Hindi film actress and Bharatanatyam dancer in Mumbai, India. She is the first transgender person to represent Asia Pacific in the UN in 2008. So, after doing so much in less time, how and why the idea of autobiography popped up in her mind and she added, “As a kid, I was a sickly child and very effeminate. People would laugh at me and call me names. So, during my childhood, books were my best friend as I used to be with them most of the time to find solace. So books are always there with me.” Battling emotional turmoil from a very young age, Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, born in a highcaste Brahman household, felt confused, trapped, and lonely. Slowly, he began wearing women's clothes. Over time, he became bold and assertive about his real sexual identity. Finally he found his true self - she was Laxmi, a hijra. From numerous love affairs to finding solace by dancing in Mumbai's bars; from being taunted as a homo to being the first hijra to attend the World AIDS Conference in Toronto; from mental and physical abuse, to finding a life of grace, dignity, and fame, this autobiography is an extraordinary journey of a hijra who fought against tremendous odds for the recognition of hijras and their rights. “Coming, why I chose to write my autobiography at 36? Well! The reason is support of my friends and family. I have journalist friend, who encouraged me to do this. She said that my experiences would be helpful to millions. So, I actually narrated my story to her and she helped me a lot in bringing out my book in Marathi. It was published by Manu Vikas Publishers. And today, it’s being released in English by Oxford University Press,” she shared. “I am now 36 years old and I’m proud because I’ve done a lot with my life. Not only am I a celebrated dancer, I have starred in several TV shows and acted in movies. I have adopted two children and am living a happy and fulfilling life. But I’ve also experienced a lot of sadness. And this book is written with honesty. So, it will touch your heart as well,” she added. On asking about, would be she writing another book, she laughed a loud and added, “Oh I am already working on it. It’s about men in my life and I tell you it’s going to be best seller, much much better than Mills & Boon. So, wait till it comes out.” DAY 9 PUZZLE The puzzle was popularized in 1986 by the Japanese puzzle company Nikoli, under the name Sudoku, meaning single number. It became an international hit in 2005. Here is a 9x9 grid containing given clues in various places. The object is to fill all empty squares so that the numbers 1 to 9 appear exactly once in each row, column and 3x3 box. Solution on page 14 (Courtesy: Manoj Publications) Spotted! Book lovers have some interesting moments, when they find their favorite authors signing copies for them. J aved Akhtar needs no introduction to the lovers of literature….so they were glad to get their copies signed by him. It took him around 2 hours of uninterrupted signing of books at Raj Kamal Publications stall to satisfy his fans. Publishers sold over 400 copies of his books - Lava and Tarkash. On asking about how it feels on getting overwhelming response, he said, “It always makes me happy. But today, as one can see most of the book buyers are young readers, so I am happy if they are reading, my books …even after me.” Gajra Kottary, a multi-media writer, did scriptwriting for many successful television shows, including Hamare Tumhare; Astitva... Ek Prem Kahani and her major writing assignment was, and continues to be, the nation’s most popular and acclaimed daily television serial Balika Vadhu. On asking about why books, she added, “Being a writer, we all need freedom of thoughts, which is not there in scriptwriting. So, to satisfy my writer’s instinct, I write.” Author of Sorting Out Sid and Just Married, Please Excuse, Yashodhara Lal, feels that interacting and meeting people at NDWBF gives her a motivation to write more. Natwar Singh, politician and author, was also seen taking a look at the books and getting feedback from the readers. 16 Author's Corners Dr Shashi Sehgal talked on Anmita’s short novels ‘Mohabaton Ke Desh Men’ and ‘Bibbo’. The novels were also launched by them. Areef Khan book 'The Secret Millionaire Blueprint' was discussed at Author's Corner. It was a well attended event with over five hundred enthusiasts. Sudesh Varma and Abhilash Khandekar discussed their books Narendra Modi: The Game Changer and Shivraj Singh And the Rise of Madhya Pradesh respectively in hall 14. Kshama Sharma, Shyam Singh Shashi, Bhim Pradhan and Amrita Tripathi discussed on the topic ‘Are Fairytales Still Relevant for Children in 21st Century’. The programme was moderated by Atiya Zaidi. Hugh Gantzer and Colleen Gantzer were discussing on their book ‘SPICESTORY’ published by Niyogi Books. Rajeev Ranjan Pratap discussed on his book ‘Main Magadh Men’ and released his new book ‘Bustarnama’. Abhay Kumar Dubey discussed on his book ‘Hindi Men Hum’ published by Vani Prakashan which is based on the study of sociology through Hindi literature. Ajay Naveria, Tejendra Sharma, Satyaketu and other eminent writers discussed on the topic ‘Pravasi Sahitya Mukhya Dhara Se Kitna Alag’. Pravasi Sansar Patrika organized a talk on the topic ‘Pravasi Sahitya –Samaj Aur Gandhi’. Poets from different languages including Bhojpuri, Nepali, Hindi, Manipuri, Mijo and many others read their poems in the programme organised by Sahitya Akademi. Brijendra Tripathi moderated the event. 17 Micro Print adopts RICOH Pro 8120s for short-run book printing C hennai-based Micro Print is a well-established commercial printing firm having a robust infrastructure for a gamut of printing activities including books on other side for some publishers around the city. The company’s adoption of RICOH Pro 8120s pushed them into short-run book printing as they have so far been tapped a couple of leading book publishers. “Our short-run book printing using our RICOH Pro 8120s has impressed two leading book publishers, namely, Kalachuvadu Publication and Apple Publishing International,” mentions Mr. Ramu S. of Micro Print. “Whether it is large, medium or small clients, it has always been our conviction to deliver finest quality prints,” says Mr. Ramu S. In this respect, RICOH Pro 8120s boosts the quality bar of the company to a new level when it comes to churning on-demand jobs. RICOH Pro 8120s is designed with advanced editing tools and its visual previews reduce output errors and keep job production on schedule. The machine runs at 135 ppm to deliver 1200 x 4800 dpi prints. “It’s the story that matters, not the medium” Says Vikram Balagopal, author and illustrator of Simian, a graphic novel trilogy. S imian is a graphic novel trilogy written and illustrated by Vikram Balagopal, with parts one and two published as a single book by HarperCollins Publishers India. It is an epic retelling of the Hindu epic, the Ramayana, from the point of view of one of its protagonists, the Vanar, Hanuman. The story is contained within the often glossed-over episode in the other Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, where one of its protagonists, Bhima, chances upon Hanuman. They share a kinship, both being sons of the god of wind, Vayu, and they settle in for a night of exchanging stories and notes. Visitors at NDWBF ’15 had a chance to meet this young author and illustrator, at the dedicated Author’s Corner. Vikram is trained as a film-maker and he started developing the story when he was working on a film. “Since I think visually, I thought it best to have it in the form of a graphic novel. It compasses my two loves – writing and art,” he shares. “Each part of the book took a year and half to produce,” he adds. On asking how easy/difficult it was to find a publisher, he replies, “It was kind of easy. They liked the book and hence published it.” Vikram is a regular visitor DAY 9 PUZZLE to NDWBF and he was glad to SOLUTION share that there are many more footfalls this year. “This is a clear indication that book reading habit is growing in India,” he adds. He is now working on the sequel of the first book and hopes to return to films after that. “It’s the story that matters, medium does not, so whether it is a film or a book…I live to tell stories,” he concludes. Bringing a change in society through pleasure reading I was doing my morning walk the other day in a “green space” when I spotted sputum on the jogging track. As I strolled along, I noticed more: one, two, three… and to my disappointment, there were too many. It set me thinking. Is there no way, we can teach people? These are those people who were never taught civic sense in their school. Perhaps they did not go to school at all. But they must be having children at home, who are being taught and trained. I remember a parent telling me proudly how her 4 year child objected to talking on the mobile phone while driving. The child has received the message from a story she read in recent. I wished if many children would have read and absorbed that spitting in a public place is bad, our public places would have been much cleaner. But can we teach every little thing through books? Yes, we can. Perhaps, it is one of the best tool we in the children’s book publishing are equipped with. Making books for very young readers is always much more difficult than the older age groups. But there are endless possibilities too. It is said that several habits and experiences that are the building blocks of a person’s character are connected with his/her childhood. So, it is all the more important for those associated with children’s book publishing to be careful in what they depict in the books. They are contributing in the making of tomorrow’s citizens and they are also facilitators of a positive change in the society. –Mudit Mohini 18