Thaindian News

New Delhi, Feb 1 (IANS) Not all is well at the ongoing 19th New Delhi World Book Fair, which according to its organisers, is one of the biggest in the world. For one, the theme of the fair was supposed to be books on sports. But many books were only for display and not on sale — a disappointment for visitors.
“I read in the newspapers that the focus of the book fair will be books written on sports in India. But when I went to the sports theme pavilion where 700 titles are showcased, I realised that the books were just for display and not on sale,” said Arjun Shah, a student.

“It is all so confusing. What’s the point of just displaying the books if you can’t buy them. When I asked one of the organisers, I was told that I can tell them which book interests me and they will get in touch with the publisher to source the book. Not all those publishers were there in the fair,” a disappointed Shah told IANS.

Rakhi Jain, a physical fitness trainer, said: “There is a book on sports psychology by Samiran Chakraborty which I wanted to buy but could not because it’s only for display. I really wish they had got a couple of copies of the books for sale so that we could access them easily.”

“On the good side, because the highlight of the fair is sports, all publishers who are here - domestic and international - are showcasing their books on sports. So the variety is good,” she added.

Another highlight of the fair - books by and on Jawaharlal Nehru - was also a disappointment for the visitors.

Showcasing 400 books - both written by Nehru and on him - like the collection of his letters to his daughter and the late Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi and his biography, the special pavilion by the fair organisers National Book Trust (NBT) was a big draw.

However, none of the books were for sale.

“What’s the point of just displaying the titles if people can’t buy them? The aim of a book fair is to make accessible a whole range of books to the common man,” said Rajesh Ahuja, a school teacher.

“If you want to read any of the books, you can just take membership in the NBT library,” said one of the NBT officials at the stall.

Visitors also complained about mismanagement and miscommunication that resulted in a chaos at the fair.

Rashmi Sehgal, a home maker, said: “I wanted to go to the science and health pavilions but was at a complete loss. There were not enough signs telling people about the directions of pavilion and what books they have.”

According to the publishers, in comparison to the weekend, the response Monday was very lukewarm.

“I personally think that we could have done much better with more publicity,” said an official of Groiler International Books.

The fair which has 1,200 Indian and foreign publishers showcasing their books, will come to a close Feb 7.