CHENNAI: Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi will inaugurate the 48th edition of the Chennai Book Fair on December 27, the Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India (Bapasi) officially announced on Monday.
The 17-day event will continue until January 12, 2025, said S K Murugan, secretary of Bapasi, during a presser. He also informed that the book fair will be open from 2 pm to 8.30 pm on weekdays and from 11 am to 8.30 pm on weekends.
This year, the event is set to feature 900 stalls, with participation from over 10 government departments, including prison and school education. For the first time, the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR&CE) department will also take part.
Furthermore, prominent publishers like Penguin, Random House India, HarperCollins Publishers India, Simon & Schuster India, along with the American Consulate and British Council, will participate in the fair. A 10% discount will be available on books at all stalls, Murugan confirmed.
Highlighting the event’s continued success, S Chockalingam, president of Bapasi, said, “Last year, publishers sold books worth `21 crore, and the event drew over 10 lakh visitors. This year, we aim to increase the footfall by spreading public awareness. To promote reading habit, we plan to distribute 10 lakh free tickets to school and college students.”
Addressing membership issues, Chockalingam said, “Many publishers have applied for Bapasi membership. Due to constraints, we are enrolling members based on seniority. So far, we have added 24 new members, and the process is ongoing. Stalls are also allotted every year for publishers who are not Bapasi members.”
To address challenges faced during the fair, such as disruptions caused by rain, Chockalingam announced the formation of special committees for the first time. “The committees will discuss measures to handle these issues,” he said.
Bapasi treasurer W J Suresh and other association members also attended the press meet.