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Maulana Naseeruddin, president Wahdat-e-Islami
t’s one of the most waited events in the city especially for bibliophiles! The Hyderabad Book Fair (HBR), which is normally held in December, has a new date now. For the first time in six years the fair will be held from January 18 to 28, 2018 at at Telangana Kala Bharati (NTR Gardens).
Hyderabad: It’s one of the most waited events in the city especially for bibliophiles! The Hyderabad Book Fair (HBR), which is normally held in December, has a new date now. For the first time in six years the fair will be held from January 18 to 28, 2018 at at Telangana Kala Bharati (NTR Gardens).
Speaking to The Hans India, Secretary HBR, K Chandramohan revealed that Governor E S L Narasimhan will be inaugurating the 31st Hyderabad Book Fair, which will be bigger than before. “As many as 350 stalls were set up last year. This year we expect more stall to be established with publishers and houses from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and other States that will be participating.”
Of course, most bibliophiles are wondering about the change in date this year and apparently, it’s because of the ‘World Telugu Congress’ scheduled to begin on December 15. “We decided to postpone the date of the fair because it wouldn’t be fair to clash dates with one of the most important events for Telugu people. Hence, the Hyderabad Book Fair Society decided to postpone the fair,” said Chandramohan.
While the fair came under scrutiny last year owing to demonetisation, this year stall owners have been advised to come prepared with PoS machines and other digital payments modes for ease of transactions. “In 2016, around 10 lakh visitors visited the fair. This year, we expect the number to go up to 13 lakh,” he said.
Formed in 1985, the Hyderabad Book Fair Society has been hosting the event to motivate reading habit among people. The first fair was held at City Library at Ashok Nagar. Subsequent fairs were organised at Nizam Grounds, Public Gardens, Exhibition Grounds, Kesava Memorial High School, Necklace Roads and NTR Grounds.
Of course, hardcore readers are saddened that the fair won’t be held in December. Says Syeda Sarah, a resident of Shivarampally, “It’s a little disheartening that I will have to wait a little more for the book fair. My friends and I keep a track of the event from the beginning of the year and when we found out the dates were changed, we were surprised. However, a few days is not a big deal. One way or another, it’s going to be great when the gates open!”
January is a busy time for Hyderabad what with the Numaish, Hyderabad Literature Festival, and Sankranti festival. Now, there’s one more thing adding to the excitement to the first month of 2018; it’s going to be a ‘happy new year’, indeed!
By V Naveen Kumar
