Chennai Book Fair ends; publishers see hope of recovery from lacklustre pandemic months

Apart from fiction, biographies, political tomes and books on history have done well this year at the Chennai Book Fair, say publishers. (Illustration by Suneesh K.)

I distinctly remember my first Chennai Book Fair. I was overwhelmed by the sheer variety of books, especially in Tamil.

The fair was a grand affair, and it still is. It is a paradise for book lovers of all kinds. Every year in January, people gather in great numbers to the fair.

But this year, there is something different about the fair. This time, the fair happened from February 16 to March 6. But that has not reduced the enthusiasm among book lovers. As usual, they have flocked to the fair.

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Apart from fiction, biographies, political tomes and books on history have done well this year. “It’s a big relief for all publishers. Sales are as good as usual. Huge crowds coming in… So, I think, publishers are happy that they are able to sell the books published for the January book fair,” said Kannan Sundaram, publisher, Kalachuvadu Publications. Kannan’s company is the only Tamil publication that installs stalls during the New Delhi Book Fair.

“The book fair was delayed due to Covid... We are glad it’s happening now,” said Sundaram.

Vidiyal Publications, which is strong in publishing non-fiction books, has taken 400 sq ft in this fair. The house has been around for almost 15 years. “Last year it happened during January. When it happens in January, it’s normally good. I would reckon this year it’s 10-15% less than the normal sales,” said Badri Seshadri, publisher of Vidiyal Publications.

“We had planned some books for the January fair. When it was delayed, we added a few more books because we had a couple of more months. In all, we are bringing 40-45 books for this fair,” Seshadri said.

Another difference this year is the Virtual Book Fair, which was launched on January 15. “We are doing well. Publishers who are unable to come to the ‘physical’ book fair have the option of going to the Virtual Book Fair and enjoy the experience of placing an order,” Sundaram said.

The Virtual Book Fair’s website will be present all around the year 24*7. It will be organized twice a year. “However, the book fair will be continuously proceeding,” said Sundaram.

Other activities such as book launches and B2B deals will be on at the Virtual Book Fair (VBF). “There will eventually be another fair, which will be a small affair. This fair is currently being planned. This will be part of the Virtual Book Fair. During this fair, high discount books will be cleared off,” said Sundaram.

The website itself will be there for publicity and customers will be directed to the websites of the publishers. “This will be a nodal point for all publishers. It has started in Tamil Nadu and has the potential to become an all-India business, including the New Delhi book fair. The VBF will soon be active in many languages,” Sundaram said.

BAPASI (Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India) is not involved in the VBF. “They are not part of the virtual book fair,” said Sundaram. “I am one of six partners leading the team for the virtual book fair. Two youngsters, Karthik Pughazhendi of Sixth Sense and Murali Kannadhasan of Kannadhasan Publishers,” said Sundaram.

Asked if the local body elections, which coincided with the book fair, were affecting crowds at the Chennai Book Fair, Sundaram said, “People were voting in the morning and coming to the book fair in the evening.”

“Book edited by AR Venkatachalapathy and Manikandan of Madras are doing well. Several genres of books are doing well. The classics section is also doing well,” said Kalachuvadu’s Sundaram.

One of the books that is really doing well in the book fair is Ariyapadatha Kristhuvam by Nivedita Louis. “The book is about the spread of Christianity over the last few years and how it interacted with Hinduism. In the book, Louis collates data taken during field research, by talking to many subaltern people living in different parts of Tamil Nadu. She studied the rituals and worship methods,” Maruthan, who edited and published the book on behalf of Vidiyal Publications.

Moneycontrol.com spoke to various publishers, including Senthil Nathan of Aaazhi Publishers, who expressed positive sentiments about the sales in the book fair despite its delayed start.

Maruthan has himself a book on King Ashoka, and it’s doing well during the present book fair. “I believe that Ashoka goes beyond Buddhism. I have used the research done by historian Romila Thapar and archaeologist Nayanjot Lahiri. I have collated all the data available on Ashoka. I have recorded how the religion and economy were during the time of the King. I am also talking about secularism during his time. It’s not a history or biography but a book on the life and times of Ashoka,” he said.

Other important books include a tome on Aurangzeb. The original book is by Audrey Christie and the translation is by Janani Ramesh. This book is quite controversial because of its analysis of Aurangzeb’s religious views. “The book argues that one should not look at Aurangzeb without context. His acts of destroying Hindu temples and such were common in his time,” said Maruthan.