VIJAYAWADA: Swaraj Maidan, the venue of the 31st Vijayawada Book Festival bore a busy look on Saturday, with a number of bibliophiles flocking there to get their hands on books of their choice. This marked a welcome change from the first day when rain played spoilsport. People from all walks of life were seen hopping from one stall to another with inquisitive eyes.
As many as 270 stalls have been set up by different book publishers and media houses cater to the public’s taste during the 10-day exhibition. Organisers, who were initially disappointed by the less turnout on the inaugural day of the fest, are keeping their fingers crossed, hoping for more people to visit the book fair this weekend.
One is left wondering why people visit book festivals and what they search for after spending time and money. When the same question was possed to Chenchu Reddy, a 75-year-old retired headmaster from Nandyal who came all the way to Vijayawada to visit the book fair, his answer was simple - ‘Love for books’.
The septuagenarian reader said he was searching for a book named AA EE penned by his favourite writer Malladi Venkata Krishnamurthy. He said the author describes the ups and downs of life in the book.
“If you ask why one should read books, it is because they rejuvenate you and a well-written book can purify one’s mind, heart and soul,” he said. The book lover also expressed concern over the current generation getting swept in the digital revolution, increasingly being indifferent to the joy of reading. At stall number 78, Manchi Pustakam, owner Bhagya Lakshmi was busy getting ready for the day. She has been participating in the book festival for the past 15 years.
Sharing her experience, Lakshmi said, “In general, we publish books for children with a larger font and bigger pictures to keep them interested in books and reading. I know of a little girl, who got so attracted to books that when she was studying in Class 3, she started writing her own short stories,. Some of them even published.”An enthusiastic Lakshmi said the beauty of Vijayawada is that it is a city easily accessible from all places. “We see customers coming from different parts of the State.”