Jamshedpur Book Fair attracting flattering footfalls

Mail News Service

Jamshedpur, Nov 27: The Tagore Society organized 37^th Annual Jamshedpur Book Fair at the wide Rabindra Bhawan Ground, has been attracting flattering footfalls right from Day-1 which was on Friday, November 24.

On an average, visitors to the Book Fair in 2023 edition, has been in the vicinity of 7, 000 per day as recorded on Day-IV, Monday, November 27. What was more heartening to observe were children and youth along with parents and guardians emerging from the 67 busy stalls with books with excited hands holding the bags. It gave the feel that the buyers were all eager to return home and set about turning the pages with that ‘copyright’ aroma of new pages and printing ink.

Pinaki Roy, a class IX student from Telco Colony exclaimed, “A visit to a Book Fair is always exciting. Merely seeing the arrays of books in the various book stalls, picking some from the neatly lined shelves and counters and turning over a few pages of the selected ones are in themselves thrilling. They increase the yearning for books. Dad bought me six books on physics, short stories of Rabindranath, digital photography, pet care, Charles Dickens’ Pickwick Papers and a collection of Bengali short stories by Shibram Chakraborty.”

Catching up with Tagore Society’s Secretary, Ashis Chowdhury during his round of the Fair Ground, his countenance had a brighter glow while answering a query. “We were just discussing the other day about the status of this 37^th edition of our annual endeavor, The Jamshedpur Book Fair. Barring the two years of the COVID lull, this 2023 edition is more than heartening. The response has by far exceeded the number of visitors we are having as compared to the last five or six editions of this ambitious venture. In fact, over the past couple of years, we had suffered losses amounting to around Rs Two lakh each year. But fortunately, Tagore Society has the financial buffer and the show has rolled on. Our perseverance is at last, yielding results. What is motivating us more today is the gradual fulfillment of our theme aimed at attracting more children to the world of books. The various electronic media lack the feel of books and the treasure-trove they create. Books are assets that one can reach out to time and again. They become a part of heritage that can be handed down through generations. Look at all the people. The sight of children in various age groups and youth who are pouring over the contents at all the 67 stalls and those coming out with books in hand are sights that heighten our adrenaline flow. We are all happy for the new generation’s sake that is on a discovery trail of love for books.”

With the chill catching up and the glow of lights through a haze of mist heightened the romanticism of Jamshedpur Book Fair. A cup of coffee was not a bad idea. And the aroma of all the chops and cutlets at the enticing eateries tickled the gastronomic urges. Books and bites seemed fair combos at the 37^th Jamshedpur Book Fair.