Bangalore Book Festival comes alive today

Bangalore Book Festival comes alive today

Staff Reporter

Kannada book sellers booked 50 stalls

Events have been planned to attract more youth

BANGALORE: Over a million titles on display, more than 300 stalls, daily cultural programmes, multi-language books, the “Bangalore Book Festival 2007” promises to all that to attract 40,000 visitors more than last year’s record turnout of 1.50 lakh people. The festival kicks off at the city’s Palace Grounds on Friday.

The fourth edition of the book festival last year did generate a business of about Rs. 20 crore.

“The notions this year are to extend this top line trade revenue during the book festival. In this regard, a series of strategic initiatives are being undertaken to reach out and extend information to a relevant audience,” said festival president Balram Sadhwani.

Besides Kannada and English, the festival will feature stalls of Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Bengali books. Kannada publishers have increased their participation this time, occupying 50 stalls.

“We have taken steps to make the Bangalore Book Festival the country’s most talked about event among the Indian publishing fraternity,” said Ullasa Kumar, festival convenor.

This year, the festival will specially feature a mega effigy highlighting India’s new avatar as the World Twenty20 Cricket champ.

Cultural programmes will add more spark to the festival on all the 10 days.

To drive more youth to the event, aero-modelling and inter-collegiate competitions will be conducted at the book festival venue from October 15.

Plans are afoot to organise a similar festival in Davangere.

The festival is jointly organised by the Bangalore Booksellers and Publishers Association and Klub Class.