The book fair organised by the Hyderabad Book Fair Committee has been drawing good crowd, including children. When it started on April 15, it saw a lukewarm response, in stark contrast to the ones held in metro cities.
But the crowd size has increased, what with 50 stalls stacked with an array of books while those visiting the fair are kept engaged in the form of literary programmes organised on Kakatiya Government School grounds near Hanamkonda bus station. The book fair would continue till April 20.
Sambaiah, a bookseller working with Laxmi Srinivasa Publications, said the response was dull unlike in Hyderabad and Vijayawada. But there was steady rise in the number of visitors and buyers, he said.
Rammohan, working with Digital Media, Coimbatore, who sells software compact discs, said his sale took a hit as not many were aware of the book fair in the town. “There are many factors, but the crucial one is lack of publicity,” he observed.
Owing to severe heat, the fair was open between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. Since all the schools were still functioning, children were busy even during the evenings.
Book Fair Committee secretary K. Chandra Mohan said it was their first initiative and they would be conducting similar fairs every year henceforth. “We next plan to organise the book fair in a big way and plan much ahead here,” he said.
M. Jayaprakash, an elderly citizen who brought his two granddaughters to the fair, welcomed the book fair in the town. He said he wanted his grandchildren to get exposed to a wide variety of books which might motivate them to cultivate the habit of reading.
G. Medha Thanvi, a class VI student of Shine School, said she loved reading and had come to buy her favourite books of Barbie stories.
