On a weekday afternoon, there was a fair bit of crowd at the 46th Chennai Book Fair organised by the Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India (BAPASI) at the YMCA Grounds in Nandanam. The book fair has over 1,000 stalls this year which the organisers say, is among the highest.
At the stall for Queer Publishing House, started by the arts and culture wing of Trans Rights Now Collective, Negha, a transwoman and writer said that this was the first time in the history of the fair that a dedicated space had been allotted for the LGBTQIA+ community to showcase their work.
“During the previous years, we had to ask other publishers if they could keep our works on display. This year, we launched three books ahead of the fair which are on sale here, as well as books by other authors and members of the LGBTQIA+ community ,” Negha said.
While the publishing house envisions their stall to be a safe space for the community and their writing, they have allegedly faced discrimination and threats from other stall owners in the last few days. “The organisers intervened and today, we have been asked not to move elsewhere and continue participating in the fair here. Readers and visitors have been extremely encouraging, interacting with us and buying our books. This is heartening and a big boost for us,” she added.
The Tamil Nadu School Education Department has a dedicated space for its programmess - Illam Thedi Kalvi and Ennum Ezhuthum. Decorated like a forest with animal models and cardboard trees, the stall inside has volunteers welcoming children and encouraging them to participate in learning activities.
While Kalki’s Ponniyin Selvan has always been a big seller in the book fair, it is even more in demand this year following the release of the film based on it.
Jency Selvam, a volunteer at the Sivakami Puthakalayam stall, said they had already sold out copies of the book within the first few days and had to bring in fresh stock. Several stalls have the book placed prominently on display, with one stall even having a cut out of actor Trisha as Kundavai.
“There’s also a sustained demand for non-fiction and self-help books translated into Tamil which include ‘Ikigai’ , ‘Atomic Habits’, and ‘Sapiens: A brief History of Humankind’,” said M.Vignesh, at the Leo Book Distributors stall.
Encouraging people to donate books, a stall by the State Prison Department has set up a drop box. “We get over 500 books donated every day, and these books will be sent to the Central Prison libraries,” a police personnel at the stall said.
The U.S. Consulate General, Chennai’s American Center, is celebrating the legacy of U.S. Civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. by focusing on the theme ‘The American Dream powered by Inclusion, Diversity, and your Aspirations’ through their stall . The stall will highlight education and exchange opportunities in the United States, as well as introduce the Center’s resources and programmes available to students, researchers, and faculty. There will also be writing and slam poetry competitions for students, discussion with the English teaching community, book readings and book talks.
S.K. Murugan, Secretary, BAPASI, said there had been a steady increase in footfall since January 6 when the fair was inaugurated. “The coming weekend, once the Pongal holidays begin, we expect huge crowds. The International Book Fair is also scheduled to start from the 16th and we expect the crowds coming there to visit the Chennai Book Fair as well,” he added.
