HYDERABAD: The 38th Hyderabad Book Fair drew a large crowd on Sunday, with bibliophiles thronging the stalls and flipping through pages of timeless classics, trendy bestsellers and rare finds. Along with an expansive collection of fiction and non-fiction, this year’s fair has seen a notable surge in books by young and emerging authors.
Beyond the rows of bookstalls, the fair’s standout attraction has been the eight-foot-tall ‘Book Inspiration Pylon’, which became a popular photo spot, especially among youngsters. Equally engaging was the writers’ hall, where visitors were seen interacting directly with authors.
About 368 stalls have been set up, and among the most sought-after titles this year are recent releases by Arundhati Roy, Zadie Smith, Eleanor Catton and Sudha Murty. As in previous editions, Telugu literature and competitive exam books remain in high demand, publishers said.
“We have tried to bring in as many new titles and genres as possible, and we are happy to see strong footfall, especially from youngsters. We are also offering a 20% discount on all books,” said Sameer Yadav of Penguin Publications.
Y Mahesh of Anvikshiki Publishers said, “We have been participating in the fair for the past five years, but this year the demand from young readers is particularly high, especially for books on Telugu cinema and Telugu literature.”
Apart from bookstalls, Zahid’s calligraphy stall emerged as an instant favourite among visitors.
Author Bhavana Atmakuri said the turnout was reassuring. “The huge footfall shows that the love for books is very much alive,” she said, adding that she writes across multiple genres.
For debut author Navatej Kumar, whose book, A Life. A Love. A Journey, was launched at the fair, the experience has been encouraging. “I was nervous initially, but the response has been good. The book is not just about love, it is about women empowerment,” he said.
For many visitors, the book fair is more than an annual outing. “I wait for this every year. You get access to so many books on a single platform,” said Sameer Kumar, a techie.
Seema Reddy, a Class 9 student visiting the fair with her school, said it was her first experience. “I bought several books and now I have decided to visit the fair every year,” she added.
Sourav Chandra, who visited with his family, felt this year’s edition was an improvement. “Compared to last year, the collection is better and more children-friendly,” he said.
According to officials of the Hyderabad Book Fair Society (HBFS), the fair has been open for just three days so far, but footfall has been encouraging. Around 80,000 visitors attended on the second day, followed by about 90,000 on the third day.
Questions raised over finances
Hyderabad Book Fair organisers on Sunday questioned the payment of `32 lakh to a convention centre, alleging irregularities in the financial affairs of the fair during the tenure of the previous executive committee. Addressing a press conference, the present executive committee said it had uncovered issues related to bank account management and diversion of funds between 2014 and 2022. They questioned why new bank accounts were opened in ICICI Bank in 2021 and the State Bank of India in 2016 without registration, and sought clarity on the decisions taken by the earlier management.