The international publishers participating in the ongoing Delhi World
Book Fair 2015 here not only want to do good business, but also bridge
cultural ties and introduce their literary landscape to the Indian
audience.
Gauhar Iqbal who represents Manshurat Publisher and
Distribution firm from Lahore, has been participating in the fair since
2006. And to him, representation at the annual fair reinforces the fact
that the relationship between the two nations is far away from being
"turbulent".
"We don't come from Pakistan only to make money. We
are here as cultural ambassadors representing our country. We have to
improve the relationship between the two countries and for that it is
important to have a presence in respective countries," Iqbal told IANS.
This
year they have brought around 30-35 publishers from Pakistan to India
and admit that this is the "biggest ever" contingent they have brought
here.
"Indians love to read a lot of Islamic books and popular
poets such as Faiz and Iqbal. We don't bring many novels to India
because the cost of Urdu novels is higher in Pakistan and Indians don't
want to shell out so much money," said Iqbal, adding they generate good
business from the fair.
Similar sentiments were shared by Mohsen
Nasralleeh, international representative of the Tehran International
Book Fair, who has a stall at the fair. They have been participating for
the past three years.
"This is the best platform to introduce
Iranian writers to India. We want to promote Persian language and aid
the learners of this language by offering a variety of books on various
genres like Islamic culture, novels and poetry," Nasralleeh told IANS.
"We
aren't doing much for profit because even though we sell a lot, the
cost of our books here is lesser than the amount we pay for this stall.
But the fair offers us many business opportunities and helps us to
connect with many scholars and teachers," he added, saying they had
brought 200 books and many of them have already been sold.
This
stall has novels like Iranian author Seyed Mehdi Shojaee's "In the
Twinkling of an Eye", Nima Yousij's "Modern Persian Poetry" and "The
Water Urn" by Houshang Moradi Kermani.
National Book Trust (NBT)
in association with the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO)
organises this fair at Pragati Maidan. This year Singapore is the guest
country and South Korea is the focus country.
The fair, which
began in 1972, is now considered a major international festival in Asia
and this year 30 countries like China, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, UAE,
Nepal and Germany are participating in the fair which will conclude Feb
22.
According to Vidya Pertiwi, third secretary, social and
cultural department, Embassy of Indonesia, the fair provides
opportunities to seek engagement with publishers who would be interested
in translating their literature.
"This is our second year at the
fair, though we are not selling any books. We are seeking partnerships
and displaying what we have to offer," Pertiwi told IANS.
And
this is the reason why they have stacked travel encyclopaedias,
children's books, fashion magazines, political books and popular
Indonesian writers to showcase their literary landscape for the Indian
audience.
South Korean exhibitors too aren't selling books, but
they would be donating these books to the Korean Cultural Centre in the
capital to promote their literary stalwarts and help those Indian
students who are learning the language.
"There are many Indian
students who are learning the South Korean language. So we want them to
improve their writing and reading skills through these books," Eunhee
Kim from the Korean Publishers Association told IANS.
"Also, we
have brought books of some of our prominent writers and these students
would be able to understand our country and issues through these
writings," she added.
(Shilpa Raina can be contacted at shilpa.r@ians.in)
