Seventeen years is a long time. And the longevity is of particular significance in case of an annual event that has attracted bibliophiles from Delhi and around for almost two decades. The Delhi Book Fair is back again this year with its 18th edition, featuring 230 participants over the course of nine days. The fair, organised by the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) and the Federation of Indian Publishers (FIP), is one of the two major book fairs under the aegis of the ITPO?the other being the biennial, and the much larger, World Book Fair.
Both fairs are held at Pragati Maidan. But with plans of converting the World Book Fair into an annual event from next year, there are questions being raised on the future, viability and feasibility of the Delhi Book Fair. This essentially stems from the argument that there isn?t much sense in having two similar book fairs in one year. Few media reports earlier this week went to the extent of hinting that this might be the last edition of the Delhi Book Fair, as ITPO seems more keen on an annual avatar of the World Book Fair. When asked by FE, ITPO officials denied having taken a call on the future of the fair but also mentioned that ?various options will be considered before any decision is arrived at?.
Says Rita Menon, CMD, ITPO, ?The HRD minister (Kapil Sibal) wanted the World Book Fair to be made an annual event and shortly MoUs to that effect will be signed between the ITPO and the ministry, and other stakeholders as well. Now we will have to sit and decide the future course of action with regard to the Delhi Book Fair. Every exhibition is reviewed by us and the same will apply to the Delhi Book Fair. However, I must make it clear that interests and aspirations of all our partners and stakeholders will be accommodated.? While no one at ITPO is using the term ?scrapping? as of now, a wide range of options are being considered, right from clubbing the two book fairs with separate halls being allotted to Delhi-based publishers, to even continuing with both events. ?These fairs are business fairs and that is not to say that the general consumers and readers who come in are not important. But business feasibility of the fairs is an important criteria and we, along with the FIP in this case, will sit and decide about the future. We don?t want a situation where there are two competing fairs, but if the industry needs two fairs, then we don?t have a problem with that too. It?s too early to say anything,? says Neeraj Gupta, executive director, ITPO.
While the World Book Fair attracts more than 2,000 publishers and book sellers from across the globe?from multi-national publishing giants to small Indian publishing houses, Delhi Book Fair sees major participation from the printing and publishing industry from Delhi-NCR. It also features other major Indian publishers and some amount of participation from other countries is there as well. FIP, however, seems in no mood to relent as they claim that the Delhi Book Fair over the years has carved a niche identity for itself, independent of the World Book Fair.
?We feel two fairs can co-exist and in fact they can complement one another as all these efforts lead to creating awareness about books and developing reading habits among the people. Cities all over the country have their own book fairs, why can?t Delhi have its own fair too? We just can?t think only about trade and business, these fairs are for the readers first,? says Shakti Malik, treasurer, FIP. Malik runs Delhi-based publishing house, Abhinav Publications, as well. He adds that FIP will consult and negotiate with ITPO to ensure that the Delhi Book Fair continues. And what if ITPO sees no future in running the Delhi Book Fair as an independent entity? In a guarded response he says, ?I really don?t see that happening. As of now ITPO has assured us that a solution will be worked out addressing all our concerns. But if it does, then FIP will continue doing it, even without ITPO.?
Other publishers too feel that Delhi Book Fair has its own standing and even among the readers it is quite popular. The advantages of the Delhi Book Fair, according the publishers, include its closer interface directly with the readers, and more exposure for the participating publishers?especially for the smaller ones. While most participants of the Delhi Book Fair participate in the world Book Fair too, there is a sense that due to heavy participation, reader interest and attention gets diffused to a large extent, hurting smaller publishers. ?Delhi Book Fair is financially viable because there is definite response from the readers, particularly families, students and educational institutions. It?s by no means a minor fair and it?s something we wait for and prepare for as it is a much better platform in terms of publishers interacting directly with the readers. Ideally, both the World Book Fair and the Delhi Book Fair should continue,? says Priyanka Malhotra, CEO of Full Circle Books. She adds that the profile of both fairs is largely differentiated now, which leaves a lot of scope for co-existence. ?World Book Fair is increasingly becoming a business fair with a lot of B2B activity. Delhi Book Fair is still more of a consumer or retail fair. So both are important in their own way for publishers,? she says.
Asoke Ghosh, CMD of Delhi-based academic publishing house PHI Learning, concurs. ?Destroying tradition takes merely seconds, building it takes toil, effort and years. Delhi Book Fair has become a tradition for Delhi and there is no reason why it should be done away with just because World Book Fair is becoming an annual event. Even till now, in the years when both the fairs were held, neither saw a decline in footfall or reader response. This implies that there is enough appetite out there for two big events,? he says.
And what if publishers start shying away from the Delhi Book Fair on account of the much larger platform that the World Book Fair provides them? ?Even in that case, both fairs should continue for a few years together and then, if actually, the industry and reader response is found to be lacking, a call should be taken. It doesn?t make sense to presume the viability of an event,? he responds. As the future of the Delhi Book Fair becomes a matter of deliberation, consultation and negotiation, book lovers await the last word on an event that they have thronged to and witnessed for so many years, and would continue to?while they still can.
The 18th edition of the Delhi Book Fair is on at Pragati Maidan till September 9.
