CHENNAI: A total of 1,125 MoUs were signed during the three-day Chennai International Book Fair (CIBF), which concluded on Saturday.
Chief Minister MK Stalin, who participated in the event, released 75 books published by the Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation, alongside 30 books translated from Tamil to other languages with the support of the government’s translation grant.
In a post on X platform, Stalin wrote, “Chennai International Book Fair 2025, aimed at ‘Bringing the World to Tamil and Taking Tamil to the World,’ is a one-of-its-kind initiative in India by the Tamil Nadu School Education Department. Starting with 365 MoUs in 2023 and growing to 752 in 2024, it has now reached 1,125 at CIBF 2025 - 1,005 for translations from Tamil to foreign languages and 120 into Tamil.
The Tamil intelligentsia credits this achievement and global recognition of Tamil literature to our Dravidian model government’s grant and support. Let’s hope our writers will not just aim for Jnanpith but also a Nobel.”
Delivering a special address at the event, Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor emphasised the significance of platforms like the CIBF. “In an era where politics and many institutions of our democracy are faltering, such platforms have emerged as champions of the power of literature. Today, when wielding the pen to write the truth is an act of resistance, we must remember the countless writers, scholars and journalists incarcerated worldwide for speaking truth to power. Celebrating words and literature has never been more essential,” he said.
Tharoor further noted the transformative power of translated and transliterated literature in transcending political and geographical boundaries. “This is particularly evident in our country, where myriad languages coexist under the same sky. Such works have fostered awareness and amplified the call for social justice,” he said, citing examples ranging from classics like the Tirukkural and Silappadikaram to more recent writers.
CIBF Ambassador Award, Global Visionary Digital Book Fair Excellence Award, CIBF Ancient Tamil Literature Promotion Award, CIBF Modern Tamil Literature Promotion Award, CIBF Co-Publishing Partnership Award, CIBF International Grants Committee Excellence Award, Innovation in Book Promotion Award and Guest of Honor Award of Global Literary Advocacy Award were distributed to publishers, authors and translators who had come from across the world.