THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Pallikkal Rajeev’s stride within the Central Stadium premises where the ‘Pustakolsavam’ is being held seemed heavy. The two huge packets he carried brimmed with books, some of which peeped out to reveal their titles and genres. There were translations, self-help, and some trendy, snappy ones the generation feeds on such as ‘Ettavum Priya Petta Ennodu’.
“There is a formidable collection here. I have currently purchased books worth around Rs 5,000,” the bibliophile says as he ambles out of a stall at the stadium. He had used his lunch break from work to visit the book fair being organised by Thiruvananthapuram District Library Council at the stadium from October 13 to 16.
Pitted by book reviewers as one of the biggest in Thiruvananthapuram, the fair features over 120 stalls and a diverse variety of books in English, Malayalam and Tamil, by over 67 publishing houses including DC, Mathrubhumi, Maithri, Chintha, Haritha, the National Book Trust (NBT), State Bhasha Institute, etc. Noted among the books were translations such as the best seller ‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear, reflecting a tilt in reading trends towards the self-help genre.
There were several takers for children’s books and classics as well. Reshma P M, who works at the Secretariat, was looking for children’s genre as she stopped over at the fair during a break. But the rich spread from Marx’s writings to the script of the popular flick ‘Premulu’ fascinated her. There were also classics and commentaries on classics and veterans of Malayalam literature (‘Basheerinte Poonkavanam’ by MN Karassery). Also up for grabs were books by current writers such as Mohammed Abbas who are making a mark in the literary field with their personal stories.
“The NBT and the state-run publishing forums also make available books that are hard to find. There is a variety here for the students as well, those preparing for competitive and regular examinations. Yet, it is the classics and the translations that top the favourites list,” says a district library council official, who does not want to be quoted.
“The translations are particularly impressive, and so are the children’s genre picks. The books are so well illustrated that children get attracted to the contents. The aim may be to attract children, to inculcate in them a trait for reading. Commendable,” says Reshma, looking at a Haritham publication titled ‘Kunnumpurathe Veedu’ by Ajith K Raman, a collection of four short stories.
The book had found a place in the Pathanamthitta district Puksthakolsavam also. Chapters of the book fair are being held in all districts, with the Thiruvananthapuram one and that in Palakkad currently running simultaneously.
“Such fairs have been going on since 2004, when it was decided that the state library council would organise them in all the districts, aiding libraries to use the grant provided to them for procuring books at discounted rates,” says the library council official.
The libraries get a good discount of 35% for Malayalam books and 20% for English ones. “However, the same kind of discount is not extended to the public,” says Pallikkal Rajeev, as he stacks his bags with books he bought at another stall.
The crowd around him in the stalls was thinning slowly, indicating the end of lunch break for those from nearby government offices. There was still some activity at the stalls, with the public skimming and browsing through the books, as speakers at corners of the stadium belted out slices of poems at regular intervals to create the ‘wordy’ mood.
“The sales this time are a tad lower compared to the last time,” says Rankith KR, from Maithri Publications. “It may be because the event was planned right after the pooja holidays. The first two days saw very little footfall. It is only now that the crowd is picking up. The ways books are arranged also seem a bit uneven with just one section displaying all the popular picks. The other section, hence, shows sparse public presence,” he says.
Similar fairs will be held in all the districts till November end. The last of these will be in Ernakulam, from November 24 to 26. “For book lovers, there is no better heaven,” says Sreekuttan, as he makes video content for his vlog ‘BookMallu’.