CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin will inaugurate the 45th Chennai book fair at the YMCA Grounds in Nandanam from January 6 to 23. During weekdays, the fair will be open from 3 pm to 8:30 pm and on weekends and government holidays including Pongal, from 11 am to 8:30 pm.
SK Murugan, secretary of BookSellers’ and Publishers’ Association of South India (BAPASI), which organises the fair, said all Covid-19 protocol stipulated by the State government will be followed and the fair will be used as a platform to create awareness on safety.
“We are discussing with officials the possibility of having a vaccination camp within the premises and we will also make sure to intensify awareness campaigns,” Murugan said. Masks and sanitisers will be distributed at the venue.
The programme schedule and details will be available by the first week of January, said Murugan.
In 2021, the fair was conducted in late February which resulted in organisers and publishers losing out on the Pongal holidays that usually brings in a large number of visitors.
In addition, several city residents had moved out of the city to their hometowns due to the work from home option.
When usually an average of 12 lakh people visit the fair, only eight lakh people had turned up and the revenue dropped around Rs 2 crore from the usual average. Political parties’ functionaries, who are usually regular visitors of the fair, had also given it a miss due to election work.