More than anything else, literature festivals are a place for readers and authors to connect, and for budding writers to get their questions about the literary industry clarified,” says Gautam Padmanaban, CEO of the city-based publishing company Westland. Padmanaban will be one of the few Chennai participants at the Bangalore Literature Festival 2012, a three-day literary extravaganza, which will be held from December 7 to 9.
After adding that such festivals are a great way to promote the activity of reading, Padmanaban says that the panel that he is part of will discuss the inevitable topic of the state of the publishing industry here in the country. The trend of e-books is just starting out here in India, he says. “But how big it will be here in India is something that nobody knows,” he contemplates, but is quick to add, “But then again, India is a country that adapts to technology fairly quickly.”
From a publishers point of view, Padmanaban says that it can only get better from here on. “E-books are only another format for us to reach the readers. The only problem that could arise is that the retail of physical books might become a challenge,” he explains.
Dismissing the idea that it is only the new generation that is keen on adapting newer methods of reading, Padmanaban paints a picture of how E-reading is for everyone. “Even some of the older people have taken up reading on E-readers. They are not only convenient, but also aid things like making the font size bigger,” he says.
Some of the participating authors at the Bangalore Literature Festival include Ruskin Bond, Nisar Ahmed, Mark Tully, Dr UR Ananthmurthy, Shashi Tharoor, Tarquin Hall, Amish Tripathi, Majid Nawaz, Shehan Karunatilaka, Anita Nair, SL Byrappa and Chetan Bhagat. Lyricists and writer Javed Akhtar and Gulzar are also expected to attend the event. The festival will host interactive sessions, panel discussions, workshops by writers, music concerts, dance and theatre performances, among others.