The 30th edition of Hyderabad Book Fair turned out to be better than some of the previous editions. Perhaps years of critical feedback about the unimaginative organization of the Book Fair has helped. The organizers took better care to do ensure:
a. Better mix of publishers from vernacular and English worlds
b. Restrictive participation of second-hand publishers
c. Wider range of Children’s Books and Recreative material
d. Writer’s Hall which allows free interactivity with authors.
e. One Smaller Enclosed Hall for lecture/workshop besides the usual open hall space
f. Spacious ground with adequate parking, seating and drinking water at every row for elders and kids
g. Good spread of eateries outside to cater to diverse taste buds.
h. Almost every stall is enabled with Paytm/POS machines while some are even accepting old Rs.500 notes. (Having swiped my card or used Paytm at 11 stalls, I found only one shop without either paytm or POS machines and exhausted my cash there but not before exchanging the solitary 2000 note I had in pocket for lots of change).
I go to pick mostly good Telugu books as I practically have unbridled and exclusive access to most of the English titles throughout the year but I did pick up good and out-of-print books by O’Henry, Osho, Hank Moore, John Sutherland, and of course PG Wodehouse. I noticed almost all newspapers had their stalls except Telangana Today which debuted yesterday. Is that a strategic blunder to miss the much-thronged Book Fair, I wonder.
Scanning 275 plus number of stalls can be daunting and tiring. But this time, it looked like an outing worth it especially given the rich haul of books in English and Telugu. There are some wonderful new stalls for those who want good children’s stories in Telugu from ManchiPustakam - don’t miss it. Four stalls deserve special attention but your tastes may be completely different:
1. Sivananda Supatha Foundation - where I got “Structure of the Universe” and few other rare books out of print for years written by our close relative and Seer Dr.K Sivananda Murty guru.
2. USCEFI - books by Dr.E Ved Vyasa. So many new titles and backlists available now for those who follow his timeless catalogue. My father is an ardent fan of his books.
3. Analpa Communications - One of the most discerning publishers for English books whom I reconnected with after 13 years. The owner Pradeep has worked in publishing houses in London and Delhi before moving back to Hyderabad. His dazzling collection of books is now available as a shop in Sainikpuri.
4. Navodaya Publishing - Some of the best Telugu titles are available here.
Of course, there are many good resellers where you may get some of the best contemporary and rare books you have searched all your life. But do not miss to peep inside National Book Trust and Publications Division publishers - their catalogue never loses lustre nor are they bereft of new arrivals you may want to read. What are some of the gems I got from the reseller’s booty? A rare book by Osho on Dynamic Meditation, an out-of-print collection of Short Stories curated by the inimitable Punch magazine, a book of essays by Graham Greene titled “Reflections” and another intimate memoir of economic cycles by J.K.Galbraith. Of course, the final haul is bigger than this but I won’t make it a litany. Have a look yourself and go for it.
Meeting authors at Book Fairs comes easy to me. And I met the caustic social media commentator and writer Mr Vasireddy Venugopal at his stall after many years. He has been publishing some sensational fiction and nonfiction through his stable and himself a successful author on “Gold”. I couldn’t resist the natural question everyone is asking : Will Gold prices crash further? The Guru on Gold gave a guarded answer but finally said, it may not crash below Rs.25,500 per 10 gms. That tip itself is paisa vasool advice for this year’s Book Fair.
The charge for Hyd Book Fair entry is still stuck at five rupees which seems to be frozen in time by the book fair organizers for almost a decade now. But that is the irony in India - many will come but few will buy. This review is for those few who read and buy books.
a. Better mix of publishers from vernacular and English worlds
b. Restrictive participation of second-hand publishers
c. Wider range of Children’s Books and Recreative material
d. Writer’s Hall which allows free interactivity with authors.
e. One Smaller Enclosed Hall for lecture/workshop besides the usual open hall space
f. Spacious ground with adequate parking, seating and drinking water at every row for elders and kids
g. Good spread of eateries outside to cater to diverse taste buds.
h. Almost every stall is enabled with Paytm/POS machines while some are even accepting old Rs.500 notes. (Having swiped my card or used Paytm at 11 stalls, I found only one shop without either paytm or POS machines and exhausted my cash there but not before exchanging the solitary 2000 note I had in pocket for lots of change).
I go to pick mostly good Telugu books as I practically have unbridled and exclusive access to most of the English titles throughout the year but I did pick up good and out-of-print books by O’Henry, Osho, Hank Moore, John Sutherland, and of course PG Wodehouse. I noticed almost all newspapers had their stalls except Telangana Today which debuted yesterday. Is that a strategic blunder to miss the much-thronged Book Fair, I wonder.
Scanning 275 plus number of stalls can be daunting and tiring. But this time, it looked like an outing worth it especially given the rich haul of books in English and Telugu. There are some wonderful new stalls for those who want good children’s stories in Telugu from ManchiPustakam - don’t miss it. Four stalls deserve special attention but your tastes may be completely different:
1. Sivananda Supatha Foundation - where I got “Structure of the Universe” and few other rare books out of print for years written by our close relative and Seer Dr.K Sivananda Murty guru.
2. USCEFI - books by Dr.E Ved Vyasa. So many new titles and backlists available now for those who follow his timeless catalogue. My father is an ardent fan of his books.
3. Analpa Communications - One of the most discerning publishers for English books whom I reconnected with after 13 years. The owner Pradeep has worked in publishing houses in London and Delhi before moving back to Hyderabad. His dazzling collection of books is now available as a shop in Sainikpuri.
4. Navodaya Publishing - Some of the best Telugu titles are available here.
Of course, there are many good resellers where you may get some of the best contemporary and rare books you have searched all your life. But do not miss to peep inside National Book Trust and Publications Division publishers - their catalogue never loses lustre nor are they bereft of new arrivals you may want to read. What are some of the gems I got from the reseller’s booty? A rare book by Osho on Dynamic Meditation, an out-of-print collection of Short Stories curated by the inimitable Punch magazine, a book of essays by Graham Greene titled “Reflections” and another intimate memoir of economic cycles by J.K.Galbraith. Of course, the final haul is bigger than this but I won’t make it a litany. Have a look yourself and go for it.
Meeting authors at Book Fairs comes easy to me. And I met the caustic social media commentator and writer Mr Vasireddy Venugopal at his stall after many years. He has been publishing some sensational fiction and nonfiction through his stable and himself a successful author on “Gold”. I couldn’t resist the natural question everyone is asking : Will Gold prices crash further? The Guru on Gold gave a guarded answer but finally said, it may not crash below Rs.25,500 per 10 gms. That tip itself is paisa vasool advice for this year’s Book Fair.
The charge for Hyd Book Fair entry is still stuck at five rupees which seems to be frozen in time by the book fair organizers for almost a decade now. But that is the irony in India - many will come but few will buy. This review is for those few who read and buy books.
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