Shillong Book Fair fosters a love for printed books in the digital age

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaOctober 5, 2023

The Shillong Book Fair ended on a high note on Tuesday after it catered to people from different walks of life who enjoyed the company of books along with a musical and cultural extravaganza.

The Shillong Book Fair 2023 which is being organized by the National Book Trust – India, Ministry of Education, Government of India in collaboration with the Department of Arts & Culture and Education Department, Government of Meghalaya, returned to the state after a hiatus of 7 years.

The Book fair started on September 27 and ended on October 3.

Books Street with stall numbers were lined up at the premises of State Central Library, the other highlights of the fair were a children’s corner, cultural programme, literary session, youth event.

A selfie point with the frame of the Prime Minister Narandra Modi was also put up and people took turns to take their selfies.

Children accompanied by their parents hopped from stall to stall to get a hand on the books of their choice.

For some it was a first time to enter the magical world of books while for others it brought back memories of them hopping around book stalls.

Speaking to Syllad, an organiser of the book fair Ashok Dhankar said, “We would love to go back. We will outreach to more schools in Meghalaya next year and send teams ways before the book fair.”

As far as participation and sale is concerned, he informed that most of the publishers have received good response as it is one of a kind festival in which people can buy books and see cultural evenings, watch literary sessions and can go to a toy fair also.

He said, “I think it is a very good initiative from both perspectives.”

Asked if there is any concern with the arrival of e-books, he said, “Definitely, people are coming back to the hard copies instead of e-books because it gives them a different feel altogether. Reading from a book is, I guess, any day better than e-book.”

Dhankar informed that the Book Fair was very well-received by the school students who attended the different sessions so it was a literary event for them. There were book discussions on different topics, panel discussions.

“Definitely, we would love to come next year for the big book fair or the book festival, rather. It is the book fair for the general public of the people of Meghalaya,” he said.

A first time visitor was in awe of the book fair and said, “It was great and adventurous for me as I came across many books. This time, I did not get to explore much but I will be prepared the next time it comes back.”