Rain dampens the mood and sales at Chennai Book Fair

Organised by the Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India, this year as many as 900 book stalls feature at the fair

The usual Sunday crowd was missing at the 47th edition of the Chennai Book Fair on its first weekend as rain played spoilsport on Sunday, booksellers pin their hope on the Pongal festival weekend. | Photo Credit: Karuunakaran M

Many booklovers in the city were unable to visit the 47th edition of the Chennai Book Fair on its first weekend as rain played spoilsport on Sunday.

Though most of the sellers were looking forward to a boost in sales, they were disappointed as most families gave it a miss this Sunday. “The usual expectation of a Sunday crowd at the book fair is missing because of the rains. Hopefully it picks up soon,” said M.Balaji of Shree Balaji Books.

Organised by the Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India (BAPASI), this year as many as 900 book stalls feature at the fair.

Back for the second time, Thirunangai Press LLP which was started by Grace Banu, has put up a stall focussing on queer literature. With colours of the community dominating the stall and a statue of Buddha as the centre, business is yet to pick up for them. “We have brought out 21 titles in 2023, which are all for sale here. While it is difficult to reach the book fair in the rains, this time the catalogue was also not issued and so, many visitors are having a hard time searching for their shops,” Ms. Grace said.

The School Education Department had set up a stall with focus on their children’s magazines Oonjal and Thenchittu, and the Manarkeni app, where children can learn their syllabus through videos. The stall also speaks about the various schemes of the department with an emphasis on the Naan Mudhalvan Scheme. While the parents explore the various offers, a facility has been made for the children to either indulge in creative activities through art and clay or opt to get their portrait done.

The American Center in Chennai has also set up a pavilion at the book fair under the theme ‘In Your Own Words’ in an effort to recognise freedom of speech and expression as tools for empowerment. They will also conduct an exhibition on American Cartoonist Etta Hulme curated by American Fulbright Nehru alumna Dr. Ritu Khanduri, a slam poetry competition for college students, sessions on higher education in the United States of America and exchange programme consultations. The pavilion will also host an interactive literary social on the legacy of Maya Angelou’s work with professors of English and Tamil literature.

Crowds thronged the Pesa Mozhi stall by Pure Cinema which sold various books on cinema. The stall which featured a life-size cut-out of director Alfred Hitchcock seemed to be a crowd favourite. “Since we started selling screenplays of Lokesh Kanagaraj movies, there has been an uptick in sales,” said Selvamani, a volunteer at the stall.

With continuous downpour, the YMCA grounds had turned into a sludge causing people, especially senior citizens to have a tough time in reaching the book fair. “I am visiting the fair for the first time and it was quite difficult to bring my children through the slush as they are quite young and wading through it was a daunting task,” said Sowmya Venkatesh, a visitor at the fair.

S.K. Murugan, secretary, BAPASI, was very hopeful that the crowd would increase soon for the fair as the Pongal festival weekend still remains. “We will rectify the sludge situation soon as we are planning to bring in more sand to create better access for the public,” he said.