Guwahati: Assam Book Fair (2022-23), presently going on at AEI playground in the city, continues to attract thousands of visitors and book lovers everyday. Jointly organised by the State government run Publication Board Assam and All Assam Publishers & Book Sellers Association, the festival of books was inaugurated by reputed Indonesian performing poet Tara Noesantara on 29 December. In the first nine days, over three lakh enthusiasts visited the venue and books worth Rs 3.50 crore were sold.
The splendid fair, which will be open for book appreciators and common people till 9 January has given space to over 150 book stalls (publishers) from northeast India along with Kolkata, New Delhi and Punjab. Over 10 publication houses from Bangladesh are also taking part. A number of events relating to new book releases, literary discussions and evening cultural shows have been organised in the festival. The closing ceremony will be addressed by State education minister Dr Ranoj Pegu with a number of other dignitaries.
The publication board, which was created by the State government in 1958 with the aim of sponsoring, encouraging and assisting in the literary field of activities, had organised Guwahati Book Fair in the city since the Eighties where the then publication secretary and eminent author Chandra Prasad Saikia took the lead from the front. Lately the State publishers & book sellers association used to organise North East Book Fair in Guwahati.
Last year, State chief minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma took an initiative to merge both the book fairs into one and thus Asom Grantha Mela was born in 2021 amidst the Covid-19 restriction. Meanwhile it has been expanded to other localities of Assam namely Dhemaji, Nalbari, Jorhat, Diphu and Bongaigaon. Lately, seven distinguished publishers namely Nabin Barua (Purbanchal Prakash), Neeharendra Choudhury (Granthapeeth), Sripad Choudhury (Bani Prakash), Rajendra Mohan Sarma (Chandra Prakash), Jeevan Krishna Misra (Natun Granthapeeth), Nousad Ali (Alam Book Stall) and Manoranjan Kalita (Kalita Book Stall) were felicitated in the fair.
The inaugural ceremonyof Asom Grantha Mela witnessed a poetic cultural show presented by the internationally acclaimed Indonesian cultural personality along with a co-artiste. Earlier, she appreciated the culture of book reading among the common people in India and stated that the reading movement will always enrich the human race irrespective of various differences.
As many as 15 valuable books, published by the State publication board, were also released during the function in presence of Assam government’s education department adviser Dr Noni Gopal Mahanta, eminent author Dr Govinda Prasad Sarma, State publication board vice-chairman Sumanta Chaliha, publishers & book sellers association president Nagen Sarma, former president Imran Ahmed, etc. Veteran Assamese author Dr Pranabjyoti Deka was conferred the second Asom Prakashan Parishad Sahitya Bota- 2022 in the function. He was honoured with the citation, books and Rs five lakh. Ranjan Sarma, publisher of Dr Pranabjyoti Deka’s best stories, was also awarded along with a cash prize in the same function in front of hundreds of spirited book lovers.
State publication board secretary Pramod Kalita informed that the first edition of Assam Book Fair was a successful initiative as it did a brisk business of around Rs five crore despite the corona guidelines. As there is no specific corona restriction this time, the outcome should be more impressive in both footfall and businesses. He also added that the publication board would soon publish books on great personalities like Dr Bhupen Hazarika, Deendayal Upadhyaya, etc. Books in different languages including Assamese, Bengali, Hindi and English are also on the card.
