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Expressing her extreme happiness at inaugurating the celebration of books

Ms Smriti Zubin Irani, Hon’ble Minister for HRD, Government of India said, “Government changes but not a nation’s culture or civilzation. India is the civilization that gave the world the concept of ‘Vasudaiva Kutumbakam’.” Passionate about books and reading, Ms Irani asked if NDWBF during the last 40 years has given birth to a writer and wished that we should encourage as many new writers as possible and thus support good writings.

Extending her heartiest greetings to the Guest of Honour Country, Singapore, she said, “The honour awarded to Singapore also celebrate the 50 years of bilateral

Minister of HRD pledges bookshops across the countryIt was a glorious winter sun, warm and cheerful that welcomed the hundreds of students, visitors and other dignitaries to the inauguration of the New Delhi World Book Fair 2015. Books are the repositeries of our knowledge, culture and civilization.

relationship and friendship between India and Singapore.” And with Republic of Korea as the Focus Country, she expressed hope that this beginning would further

encourage trade and cooperation between the countries.

Addressing the hundreds of students who had gathered there, the minister encouraged them

to travel widely and announced her Ministry's plans to launch an initiative called ‘Shodh Yatri’ under which a five-member team of youngsters, a writer and a historian would be set up for travelling to trace their roots, and their findings would be published by the government in the form of a book.

Later, Ms. Irani also inaugurated the Theme Pavilion, Singapore Pavilion and the Korean Pavilion. She also visited the Children’s Pavilion.

Shri Narendra Kohli, eminent author and Guest of Honour at the inaugural session, said, “I am not worried about the people who do not read because God did not create all people to read, but am worried for people who

Ms Smriti Zubin Irani, Hon’ble Minister for HRD, Government of India

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Narendra Kohli

Lee Joon-Gyu

A Sethumadhavan

M. A. Sikandar

Lim Thuan Kuan

J. S. Deepak

Satyanarayan Mohanty

country and a young nation, there are diverse cultures and very distinct literatures. This is what we are trying to showcase at the Singapore Pavilion.”

“South Korea is known for Samsung, LG and Hyundai, but we also have a 2,000-year-old connection when a young princess from India came to Korea and married a Korean king,” said Mr Lee Joon-Gyu, Hon’ble Ambassador of Republic of Korea “My dream and objective is to make the peoples of two countries the best of friends,” he added. Mr Lee Joon-Gyu observed that “Even though we have had economic and trade relations, but now with Korea as the Focus Country at this fair, the relationship will be more through books and culture.”

Describing the present edition of the fair as the biggest, Shri J.S. Deepak, C&MD of ITPO said that the fair act as a gateway for new ideas and knowledge.

In his observations, Shri Satyanarayan Mohanty, Secretary, Higher Education, Ministry of HRD, Government of India, said that the New Delhi World Book Fair is the meeting place of great minds and as well as an opportunity to browse and buy books. He was also happy to note that NBT, India has driven the New Delhi World Book Fair for over four decades making it a major international event today.

Earlier in his address Shri Sethumadhavan, eminent writer

and Chairman, NBT, India, said, “NDWBF today attracts participation from across the world. The fair’s strength, diversity and its vibrant nature is a contribution of publishers and those associated with the book trade.”

Dr M.A. Sikandar, Director, NBT, India, thanked the minister for being with the booklovers despite her busy schedule. He also thanked all the dignitaries and the publishers, stakeholders and media and urged the visitors to make best use of the opportunity.

want to read but have no access to books.” In this context, he said that NBT’s efforts were noteworthy in particular to know that it has opened bookshops at Metro stations in Delhi. But he said, “There are hundreds of railway stations where bookshops could be opened and books could be made available to readers.” Even at airports, he observed, that only English and foreign books are showcased but there are no books in Indian languages. The minister in her address took note of Kohli’s suggestion and assured him that her ministry will approach the Railway and the Civil Aviation ministries to set up such book stalls.

In his brief address, Mr Lim Thuan Kuan, High Commissioner of Singapore in India, said that Singapore is proud and honoured to be the Guest Country. With both the countries celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations, it is an appropriate time to strengthen people-to-people linkages between the countries. Speaking on the presentation at the fair, he said, “Though Singapore is a small

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Pabitra Rabha Theatre Group“Who is the writer of our destiny? What is this fate you have given us, O Hari?”

These few lines from their performance portray a sense of suffering imposed on

them by their predicament and the world around. Their performance attempts to seek equality in life. Except for their short stature, they can sing, dance, perform, use computer etc. Overall, they are equally proficient and skilled.

From the play titled ‘Kinu Kou’ (What to Say?), an excerpt was screened and concluded by an evocative live performance at the Theme Pavillion at the New Delhi World Book fair, 2015. The play they performed is based on the life of Akshay and his fellow actors in the Dapon theatre group. It is

about the trials and struggles that they, as dwarfs, face in their day-to-day lives.

In the words of Akshay, one of the performers “The problem came from outside, and it hurts inside,” he says, but “the same people who used to mock me now

call me ‘sir’. And it hasn’t been that long.”

A graduate of National School of Drama, Delhi, Pabitra Rabha founded Dapon (meaning ‘mirror’ in Assamese), an amateur theatre group based in his native Assam. They live together on a farmland

where they practise their performance art and also cultivate food required for self-sustenance. After the creation of Dapon, Rabha started recruiting little people into Dapon, through a network of friends and supporters who would inform him about dwarfs being

mistreated in various places and spaces, often in small circuses.

“Give us space…Give us life…We are as well as you are”.These are their words through

which they seek respect and equality of treatment.

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Hall 1R Stall 111-130 Hall 8-11 Stall 407-431 Hall 12-12A Stall 33-52

Visit NBT India Stalls at

Adajya & Face-to-face with its Director

Screening of Asamiya film Adajya, and face-to-face with Director Santwana Bardoloi was held in the evening at the Theme Pavilion. It is a film based on Indira Goswami’s novel

Dontal Hatir Uwe Khowa Howdah (The Moth-eaten Howdah of the Tusker) about three widows of a Sattradars family. Because they are

widows, social and religious dictums are imposed on them, restricting freedom of any manner and depriving them of contact with anybody. The movie is about a young widow’s fight to atleast die as per her wish.

The movie was followed by a lively

discussion on the metaphorical and symbolic imagery of the movie. Many interesting questions came forward on the Sattradari system which seemed to be a feudal system and the miserable plight of the widows imposed by their own society. The audience and the director herself had a very interactive session. The movie seeks to question whether in the context of women things have changed or is it still the same like the movie which was set in the year 1940’s?

Director Santwana Bardoloi is a practising doctor and a renowned stage art-director, actor and producer. This movie was awarded the Rajat Kamal and also the Best Cinematography Award in 1997.

Shri Upendra Kushwaha inaugurates Children’s Pavilion

I’m delighted to see children, their presence always give me happiness and remind me of my childhood. Spending time with children is the best moment for me. Children rejuvenate my spirits, said Shri

Upendra Kushwaha, Hon’ble Minister of State for Human Resource Development, while inaugurating the Children’s Pavilion at Hall No. 7, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. He urged children present on the occasion

to read more and more books.

Shri Upendra Kushwaha who spent a while in watching performances of the children from various schools of Delhi & NCR appreciated their presentations and also had a photo-session with children present on the occasion.

On this occasion, The NBT Publications, Rahul and His Dream Bat and SR Nathan: 50 Stories of My Life, a memoir of the former two-term president of Singapore, were released. Mr Lim Thuan Kuan, High Commissioner of Singapore, Shri A Sethumadhavan, Chairman, and Dr M A Sikandar, Director, NBT were also present. Later, Shri Kushwaha also visited the the Theme Pavilion and Foreign Pavilion.

5Korea Pavilion @NDWBF ’15

Manhwa comics, books on History & Art, Korean literature, General books – all greet the visitors to the Focus Country South Korea’s pavilion in Hall 7. Curated panels on Korea’s ten

well-known authors - Kim Young-ha, Shin Kyung-sook, Eun Heekyung, Yi Mun-yol, Lee Seung-U, Kyung-raN, Jo Jung-Rae, Hen Kang, Hwang Son-yong and Hwang Sun-mi –alongwith their books are a major attraction at the Korean Pavilion.

Engrossing workshop on graphic novels

Children had fun at the i n t e r a c t i v e

workshop on ‘Make your own graphic novels’ with Lalit Kumar Sharma, organized by Campfire. Here, children were taught how to draw cartoons and make their own graphic novels.

Seven UNcommoners released @ Safexpress stall

A book by Ridhima Verma – Seven Uncommoners was released on the first day of

NDWBF. She started her career with a start-up in New York and since then admired the energy and drive of entrepreneurs…especially Indians, “India is a land of entrepreneurs, I am always fascinated by their lives, which culminated in this book,” she shared.

Out of seven stories that she has selected, one is of Pawan Jain, chairman and MD, Safexpress Pvt Ltd, who was also seen at the launch, “Our association with books is long through logistics. But I am happy to be featured in this book as a success story,” he said.

Book releases!

Books by three young female authors were released at NDWBF. Published by Omji Publishing House all three books are of first time authors. These included – Confess it by Parul Sharma;

Daughter of a Drunkard Monk by Saumya Kaushik and Trisha by Swagnika Roy.

6Guest of honour country Singapore @ NDWBF

Celebrating the 50 years of diplomatic relationships between Singapore and India, Singapore is the Guest of

Honour country at NDWBF. The Singapore Pavilion was abuzz with activities like Children’s Art Activity by Susanna Goho and David Liew, Visual and audio media presentation of Singapore Chinese poetry by Chow Teck Seng and Drawing words by David Liew Yong ShuHoong.

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The above is the plot of one of a story book—Stranger at the Farm—for young

readers (5-7 years), which is about a baby female lamb who ventures in the wild alone and is caught by a wolf.

As a children’s books publisher, it is important to continuously evaluate and contemplate raising such issues appropriately with children. There is no point brooding on ‘What is happening to this world?’ “Instead, it is required to channelise all our anger and helplessness towards finding solutions—making children aware and get answers to their doubts through stories. Surely enough, after reading the story, children will internalise it; it may happen that they come across difficult situations in their everyday life and the young minds

Can pleasure reading help uproot the social issues?

are led to come up with some thought provoking answers,” elaborates Mudit.

“This short-story book and many more in the series, deal with such problems and social issues such as road rage, bullying, gender bias, class divide without narrating any horrible and ugly experiences, thus, striking a balance between exposure and childhood innocence,” she shares.

“We believe that education is the only tool which can transform the minds of future generation and bring about a positive social change. We feel that the contemporary problems and social issues can be uprooted by sublimely tackling them with young children so that they grow up to be more confident and informed adults,” states Mudit.

“We publish a wide variety of books for children: school textbooks and general books. Adhering to the curriculum guidelines and not compromising with the academic quality of the contents, in our school textbooks we subtly highlight the social issue like a child’s behavior with his/her househelp, or with differently-abled, elders and opposite gender. We regularly meet teachers and parents to find out various problems faced by children. Then together as a team (our eminent authors, editorial and our design team) we brainstorm and try to find best possible solutions, tells Bhavna Saxena, editorial head of Vishv Books.

“Our objective is that these issues should be tackled in a fun and interesting yet thought provoking manner, so that the young reader is not discouraged, fearful or burdened but imbibes the life skills and values imparted by books,” reiterates Mudit.

Imagine a small girl child playing outside, who is lured by a stranger, and gets trapped! And then… a deep sense of despair will prevail. What she should have done to protect herself better? Is it right to raise such issues with the little ones? Asks Mudit Mohini, director of Vishv Books.

Mudit Mohini

Vishv Books stand at NDWBF

Eminent cricketer Virender Sehwag at NDWBF

I t is a myth that sport persons are not interested in books. We are equally intrigued with them and read books regularly. Some of the sports people have even authored a few books.

We also encourage our children to read books and newspapers, told Virender Shehwag, who has won million hearts with his various innings in cricket. To encourage sports with studies, Sehwag has established Sehwag International School, which is a leading day-cum-boarding school in Haryana. "We have a 23 acre eco-friendly campus. and have at present 400 students. We do offer various sports facilities with dedicated coaches," he concluded.

Big FM 92.7 at the show

Visitors to the show applauded the Radio FM 92.7 live at the show. The

Radio jockey kept the ball rolling with interesting anecdotes and songs.

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Pre-media is the term that is used in the design, creative and publishing

industries for the processes and procedures that occur between the conception of original artwork and the manufacturing of final output channel. It is a process that combines creative art and technology to communicate the final message to a consumer.

A lot of pre-media service providers in India have emerged

due to good quality, timely delivery and of course low rates. These pre-media service providers offer and supply ready-to-publish files developed on industry-standard software, delivered on the platform of choice and ensuring that the client’s requirements are met.

These service providers also work on e-books, e-learning solutions, etc. On an average e-books are 30 percent of

revenues from developed markets and are forecasted to be 10 percent of revenues in developing markets like India with the growth anticipated to be three-fold. There are early signs that e-books are going to make a big impact in the Indian sub-continent in the coming years. Flipkart, India’s largest e-commerce company and BookGanga have already ventured into e-book infrastructure space, selling e-books in India. Penguin India has also released e-books by Indian authors. Readers in India can purchase e-books from any of these retailers at international prices – Amazon, Apple, Kobo and Google, Gardners, Sony, OLF, Apabi, Go Spoken/Mobcast, OverDrive, eBooks.com, IGroup and Baker & Taylor.

In 2015, Asia will account for the second highest e-learning expenditures after North America which has till now shown a growth rate of around 10 percent in this segment. In India, the e-learning market is growing at a rate of almost 20 percent. Higher education e-learning is major market revenue generator in e-learning industry today. Right from playschools to universities, everybody is trying to compliment their traditional classroom training with some sort of e-learning courses as well. However not all schools and colleges are open to this

technology yet. Some have opted for hybrid learning which includes use of AV and laptops in classrooms with some online learning.

This has opened up new avenues for publishers who, in turn, are utilising the services of such pre-media service providers, instead of investing on their own in this field. In fact, India is a hub for such pre-media services and almost every other such service provider is working for global companies. “Infact, India has 80 percent of the global pre-media business as a country, which may amount to $4 billion worth of business,” tells Vinay K Singh, executive director, Thomson Digital, a division of Thomson Press (India) Ltd.

What makes India a preferred destination? What is the total expanse of this business and what are the opportunities and challenges in this segment?

Publishing industry today…

“Growth in digital media has revolutionised the world and of course the publishing industry. Authors looking for publishers now have the option of self publishing. The publishing industry is experiencing a paradigm shift. The recent statistics related to digital books sale and purchase, e-readers, tablets and e-book lending, etc. reveal that there is a boom in the e-books domain. The rise in the sale of e-books is having a dramatic effect on

E-publishing: effectively complementing the printed wordPre-media service providers, an integral part of the publishing industry, across the country are offering high-quality pre-media services to publishers across the globe. Here’s more on this industry segment and trends within. At NDWBF '15, Hall 14 provides a podium for a group of e-book publishers.

One of the newly released reference modules, which provide access to thousands of peer-reviewed texts, from Elsevier is an attraction at their stand in Hall 14. “Ranging from Biotechnology, Toxicology, Physiology and many other subjects, we continuously update these reference modules,” mentions Shweta Sethi, S&T Book, Elsevier.

“We produce more than 8,000 titles a year and all these titles are available in e-formats,” says S Kamlesh Kumar, regional manager, Books North, Springer (India). He adds that ever since their engagement in e-books, around one lakh and ninety-thousand titles have been converted into the soft formats.

Macmillan Education stand in Hall 14

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E-learning: a growing segment

E-learning as an industry is in the midst of massive growth. “With the cost of implementing e-learning tools falling and increase in demand for such courses, more and more schools, colleges, universities have added online courses and distance learning to their programmes. e-learning has led to development of classes without boundaries and walls. The students are benefited as the cost of such programmes is considerably low. At the same time, the lecturers, presenters, etc are also compensated for their knowledge and skills due to large participation. Use of videos, audios, animations make learning fun and effective for the students,” shared Nitasha.

Publishers have also taken advantage of this new trend and are getting their education content adapted/developed to suit this trend. Due to the limited knowledge regarding the array of features and formats available in digital publishing, publishers need the services of some specialised digital solution providers and consultants.

Standing out from the crowd…

But the question is - how can publishers ensure that their books are discovered in the online environment where shelf space is infinite and titles huge? “A properly entered metadata helps in fruitful search of the book on popular search engines. Just converting to e-book and uploading it to stores online may not lead to its sales and popularity. One has to reach out the masses and the best way to do so is use internet to market your book(s). Use of social media marketing services in order to reach out to your target audiences

helps to increase the presence and hence sales of the book," told Nitasha.

Challenges faced…The content services industry

is very competitive, with numerous new companies coming into the space, increasing operational costs for suppliers and a continued reduction in profit margins as customers look for the very best pricing.

“Availability of free conversion tool and lack of awareness are the two key challenges that we face today. Many publishers believe that the freely available conversion tools should work equally for them and convert their books to e-book formats without any error. We have to educate the publishers about the shortcoming of such tools as they do not produce professional e-book formats and the styling of the book is often messed up. The e-books so produced are rejected by Apple and other platforms due to invalid characters,” told Nitasha.

Business…Most of the business comes

from international publishers though the domestic publishers have now started taking interest. Approximately 90 percent of pre-media business comes from territories across the globe (excluding India) with major chunk coming from US and UK.

Though the e-book market is still in its infancy stage in India and may have some teething problems also, like low e-reader adoption and penetration rate, low internet penetration rate and e-commerce transactions, etc. With a huge population, a literacy rate of 75 percent and growing and a steady growth of infrastructure, domestic market of India is definitely going to be a huge digital publishing market.

the sale of print books,” tells Nitasha Malhotra, e-sales and marketing manager, Realty Pre-Media Service Pvt Ltd, Pune.

Pros and cons of going digital….

“E-book sales do not involve any overhead cost to the publishers/authors as compared to the print books which involve cost of printing, binding, storing and distribution. Another added advantage is the possibility to add interactivity in the digital version of the books and make reading more engaging for the readers. E-books run over variety of devices – tablets, mobiles, e-readers, etc. Tablet devices (iPad, Kindle Fire, Galaxy Tab) have played a vital role in interactive children e-books,” shared Nitasha.

Many publishers are struggling with adopting new processes that fit with their existing processes and deliverables. “Content is now available in many different formats, depending on publisher uptake of new technologies. Customers are confused about why they can’t get the content they want in all the ways they want it. The publishing industry is at an inflection point and most publishers seem to be looking to the market to make a strong direct statement about the direction they should take with

forwarding and copying of the e-book formats. Also there are some people who advocate that nothing can substitute for the look and feel and smell of a real book. And of course the digital books need a suitable device/platform for reading unlike the print book which can be read by anyone who knows the language,” said Nitasha as a matter of fact.

Publishers on e-books…The publishers were initially

reluctant as they were not sure of two things, whether e-books will sell? And whether the e-books will be secure and free from piracy? But now the situation has changed. “Publishers do not want to stay away from this revolution and reap the benefits of earning more revenue at low added cost. Also readers now are more interested in digital formats as the penetration of devices has increased considerably,” added Nitasha.

“There are major disparities in how publishers are dealing with recent technology changes. Many are experimenting with new models and deliverables on a limited basis, while others are adopting a ‘wait and see’ approach and not changing much at all. In the meantime, new companies are stepping in to fill the gap between existing

publishing processes and outputs with products that are born-digital,” shared Ajay Srivastava, managing director, vPrompt eServices.

In 2013, somewhere between a fifth and a third of book publishing revenue in the US came from the sale of e-books. Till 2013, there was a growth in

this number as more and more publishers were getting their backlist converted. But now this figure seems to be stagnated. Now publishers, authors, etc will not hesitate to continue experimenting with new kind of content.” The recent development in digital publishing is augmented reality for print books. By means of this technology, one can add an amazing experience to the print books,” told Nitasha.

Yet another e-resource exhibitor in Hall 14 is Datanet India, a Limca Book of Records holder, for being the largest provider of online data socio-economic data. “Our websites provide all geographical info on districts, states, towns and other related subjects in statistical e-books,” asserts, Bhupendra Singh, manager-marketing & subscription, Datanet India.

Kolkata-based Learning Spiral is one-stop-solution provider of digi-content publishing solutions, be it e-book designs and production, digital illustrations, XML conversion, and more. “In today’s digital world, the Indian book publishing market is now also picking up aggressively towards e-world. Our aim is to provide tightly integrated technology to meet ever growing demands in this domain,” says Ramen Saha, SBU head, digital publishing & archiving, Learning Spiral.

Meritnation.com, a division of naukri.com, is provider of reading materials for students from its website. “All the contents on the website are based on CBSE Syllabus and we aim to help students who miss classes or doubtful in classroom lectures,” exclaims Kumar K Rai, manager, event, maritnation.com

their products and processes instead of taking the lead,” told Ameet Chauhaan- president and CEO, vPrompt eServices.

At the same time, the publishers/authors have to part with their revenue as commission to the aggregators like Apple, Amazon, etc. “These platforms not only provide them with a popular distribution channel but also provide technology that prevents unauthorised sharing,

Hall 1 R and 1 A

Hall 8, 9, 10 and 11

Hall 6 Hall 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D and 7E

FLOOR/STANDS PLANPragati Maidan, New Delhi

Hall 14

Hall 12 and 12A

METROSTATION

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Sir William Mark Tully, popularly known as Mark Tully was a household name

in most of India for his quality commentaries about happenings in India for many years….way back in 1970s. Former bureau chief of BBC, New Delhi, he held the position for 20 years. Tully was awarded the Padmashree in 1992 and in 2005 he received the Padma Bhushan. Here Smita Dwivedi discovers his eternal love for India & Indian things; radio; his reasons for continuing living in India and why ink & paper books will always charm intellectuals.

Tully was born in Tollygunge, British India in 1935 and spent early years of his childhood in India before leaving country for

higher education at age of nine. And later when he joined the BBC in 1964, he again moved back to India in 1965 to work as the India correspondent. Since 1994 he has been working as a freelance journalist and broadcaster based in New Delhi. He is currently the regular presenter of the weekly BBC Radio 4 programme Something Understood.

In companionship with books!

According to Tully, one must be an avid reader first, before being an author or writer. On asking about his journey with books he added, “Unlike most of the people of my fraternity,

I started enjoying books lately. But, now I read quite a lot. I don’t use any devices to read book, I love hard copies. I even write forewords for lot of books. So, I have to read a lot. My keen interest in spirituality and religion keeps me busy reading and buying many books to read.”

Being an author!Tully's first book on India

Amritsar: Mrs Gandhi's Last Battle was published in the year 1985, co-authored with his colleague in BBC Delhi, Satish Jacob. His other works Raj to Rajiv: 40 Years of Indian Independence, co-authored with Zareer Masani, The Heart of India, India's Unending Journey, India: The Road Ahead, An Investigation into The Lives of Jesus, Mother, No Full Stops in India, etc. Sharing his experiences about being an author, for so many years now, he added, “I never wrote manuscripts in short hand…I prefer expanded form of writing. My first book was fully complied on an old typewriter. And I have a privilege of exploring virgin lands of India. I experienced entire India, which helped a lot in bringing out my subsequent books. I travelled all over with my partner Gillian Wright.”

Telling Tales!According to Tully, any

thought, expression or knowledge when put in words is an inception of a new book, if taken seriously. “I have been making a programme for BBC Radio 4 called Something Understood. I make 30 such episodes a year, which are made in batches of six. I make three in India and the rest in the UK. It’s a discussion about matters, such as philosophy, poetry, religion, all sorts of things, but less in the rational field and more in the intuition field. So, I am writing something every day,” he added.

And sharing a story about his last published book titled Non-Stop India, he said, “A very talented editor came to see me and said she was interested in my programme and asked me to write a book about the subjects

“My interest in India has become a lifelong passion, which is now nurtured through books and radio”says Sir Mark Tully, a British writer, author, former bureau chief of BBC, journalist and an expert on India.

I was covering on Something Understood. And that’s how it came about.”

Loving India…Tully’s love for India and

Indian is known world over. Most of his works are based on India. The books that he wrote on India share deep insight of a thoughtful man without being judgmental about customs, traditions, beliefs and ways of India and its people. On asking about the same he happily shared, “It’s my destiny to be in India and I have happily accepted it. I was born in India, in East Bengal, and spent nine to 10 years of my childhood here under the British Raj. I always felt peculiarly at home here. Almost all of My BBC career was spent here, so I do feel that it’s largely that I am meant to be here. And I have no plans to leave India as I am in love with the country.”

Message to all readers!Being a veteran, Tully shared

separate messages for publishers, authors and readers. To book publishing fraternity, he appealed, “I wish more of the books in the Indian languages were translated into English as there is some wonderful stuff. I feel that nowadays everybody is writing a book. It seems funny to me, I believe that one should never write a book, if there’s no reason to write it.”

And for readers, he added, “Buy more books and read more books as there is no substitute to good books. And charm of holding a book in hand and smell of ink and paper will always augment the process of book reading.”

Sir William Mark Tully

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“SHOW DAILY” – official newsletter during New Delhi World Book Fair 2015 – February 14-22, 2015, is jointly published by Director, National Book Trust (NBT), India & All About Book Publishing (ABP) and printed at Vikas Publishing House Pvt Ltd, Sahibabad.

Editorial Team: NBT – Binny Kurian; Production – R Shahjahan.

ABP – Varsha Verma, Smita Dwivedi, Jyaneswar Laishram, Shailendra Kumar, Sunita Arora, H Pandey, Sanjeev Kumar.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the signed articles do not necessarily reflect the official views of the NBT and ABP.

A multifaceted personality, Namita Gokhale has been associated with Indian

publishing for around four decades. She is one of the stalwarts, who are working hard to make Indian regional literature accessible to everyone. Smita Dwivedi discovers her unwavering urge to follow cross-currents…everlasting affair with books and multitasking…of course in the field of literature.Up till now Namita has written six novels, a collection of short stories, and several works of nonfiction, all in English. Her first novel - Paro: Dreams of Passion, 1984, a satire on the Mumbai and Delhi elite caused uproar due to its candid sexual humour. Gods Graves and Grandmother - an ironic fable about street life in Delhi was adapted into a musical play. She was diagnosed with cancer when she was just thirty-five and her husband died a few years later. The experience of illness and loss can be seen in her later books, A Himalayan Love Story, The Book of Shadows and Shakuntala, the Play of Memory. Namita is also

“There are consistently good writers in Indian literature,”

Women In Publishing

a passionate publisher and one of the founding members of the Jaipur Literature Festival. Donning many hats, she has proved that passion for books and literature has infinite potential. “Unless I am multitasking, am incomplete…just like a jigsaw puzzle, which is in the process of assembled. So, rushing about in different directions has become a part of my personality. I do believe that as we grow older, we slow down a little; but I wish I could do fewer things with more attention rather than more things with less attention,” she shared.

Book Affaire On asking about the inception

of this everlasting affair with books and literature, she added, “I always had a love for literature and books; in my school days, it was equally divided into love for books and arts and I wanted to be a painter. But life has its own momentum and I became a literature student and sadly that aptitude for art totally withered. Despite being a topper, I was held back in my third year in

graduation and that was a turning point in my life. This led to the inception of a film magazine called Super, which successfully ran for eight years. And from here, I learnt to appreciate the power of popular culture and learnt a lot about publishing. That had really characterised most of the things that I did after that.”

Art of Literature!Publishing is Gokhale’s

other love. The Namita Gokhale Editions, a signature imprint published in association with Roli Books, introduced some notable titles including Rashna Imhasly Gandhy’s The Psychology of Love and Neelima Dalmia Adhar’s Biography of her Father, RK Dalmia. She has conducted two memorable writers’ retreats in Landour, with Roli Books, for the Namita Gokhale editions. She is passionately committed to showcasing and translating the best of Indian writing and engaging the vibrant Bhasha languages of the Indian sub-continent in a creative dialogue with each other and the rest of the world. She is one of the founder directors of Yatra Books which co-publishes with Penguin Books in Hindi, Marathi, Urdu and other Indian languages including English in a ground breaking series.

Further explaining about her achievements, she added, “I believe in deep roots in all that I do…Like studying the subject with depth, at the same time believe that unless it is accessible to the popular imagination, it loses a very important dimension. I prefer whimsical, marginalised voices and make them accessible to people who may not normally have appreciated it. My interdisciplinary

–says Namita Gokhale, author, publisher and director Jaipur Lit Fest

work is reflected in my publishing work.”

On JLF…On asking about genesis of JLF,

which began in 2006, she shared, “It was a self born phenomenon… in beginning we had small audience of 40 people. We invited 18 people to speak, out of which two dropped out. So, we had to get emergency replacements. Even then, it was a brilliant and beautiful festival…but that particular intimacy has been lost over the years. The greatest thing about JLF is the quality of audience. From Nobel laureates to local language writers, Man Booker Prize winners to debut novelists, every January the most remarkable, witty, sensitive and brilliant collection of authors come together for five days of readings, debates and discussions at the beautiful Diggi Palace in Jaipur.”

“As clouds of buzzing creative energy gather around Jaipur, readers from around the world arrive for this annual pilgrimage, to attempt to make sense of our multiple and changing worlds through the prism of literature. The Jaipur Yatra will continue to celebrate books and ideas, readers and writers, in an open, joyous and spontaneous space, and to uphold the spirit of democratic debate and dialogue,” she further added.

On a Concluding Note!According to Namita, curiosity

is one of the greatest qualities in human being and reading a well written book is a way to enter another reality and expand one’s horizon. “Today, we are exposed to so many types of narratives, be it films, TV or internet; still book is unique in its own way. Reader has to work hard to understand a good book, not just author,” she said.

Further asking about her views on changes in publishing world, “As we grow older all changes look negative, it’s a state of mind, I would rather look at the positive changes. The greatest thing that has happened is the democratisation of publishing. Technology has made publishing available to anybody who has a voice and can share it. I think self publishing is of great importance and at the same time the curator model has its own strengths. And they are not at all contradictory to each other. It’s like cinema and TV…they both are complementing each other. Also, there are consistently good writings in Indian literature. I wish I could contribute to translate across all Indian and international languages,” concluded Namita.

15Through the lens...

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A multi-language reading (Bahubhashi Pathan) organised by Sahitya Akademi at Sahitya Manch in Hall-8.

An interaction with the eminent author Shombit Sengupta at Authors’ Corner ‘Reflection’ in Hall-10 organised by Sage Publications.

A discussion of panel of authors, bloggers and poets on the topic ‘Digital Yug Me Lekhan Ka Sach’ organised by Bhartiya Jananpith, Delhi at Lekhak Manch in Hall-12.

A discussion on the topic ‘Badalte Parivesh Me Sahitya ki Bhumika’ organised by NBT, India at Sahitya-Manch in Hall-8.

Author's Corners

A multilingual Rachna Path was organised by Sahitya Akademi during NDWBF 2015. This literary evening was chaired by Ganga Prasad Vimal. Authors and Poets present included Anupam Kumar (Assamese), Paul Lyngdoh (English), Upendra Kumar (Hindi), Gobind Basumatary (Bodo) and Amar Mudi (English).

Renate Reichstein, rights director of Verlagsgruppe Oetinger, the second largest publishing house of children’s books in Germany; Judith Habermas, rights director at DuMont Buchverlag based in Colonge, Germany, Manuel Carcassone, the most famous French Publisher, Emma House, director of Publisher Relations, The Publishers Association are discussing "Get Caught Reading: For non-Adults Only?", The discussion was chaired by Binny Kurian of NBT, India.

Bringing Korea to India!

This year South Korea is the Country of Focus, which is participating with a 12-member delegation led by Mr. Koh

Young-soo, the president of Korean Publishers Association. A select list of about 200 books published in Korea would be the focus of attraction. The books displayed mostly are children’s books, comics, contemporary literature and books on history, art and culture of Korea. Mr Kim Kum Pyoung, Director of Korean Cultural Center expressed his happiness for South Korea being Focus Country at the Fair. He said that book lovers will also get an opportunity to interact with two million-seller authors of Korea.

There was Korea traditional music ‘Gugak’ performance, which was loved by all. Also Indian students presented a warming musical

symphony as well. At Korean Author’s Corner Divik Ramesh, formerly visiting professor (ICCR) Hankuk Uninversity of Foreign Studies Seoul, Korea discussed Kyung-Sook Shin’s work, Maa Ka Dhyan Rakhna (Please Look after Mom), organized by Korean Publishers Association. The evening concluded with Focus Country Korea’s Opening Reception organised by KPA and KCC.

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Rajeev Group, Tinsukia, Assam, has recently installed Ricoh Pro C751 & Ricoh Pro

8100s digital machines. According to Rajeev Sharma of Rajeev Group, all the features of the machines attracted him.

They are doing jobs for self publishing poets, authors novelist and story writers in a big way. He said, "We get jobs on different languages such as Hindi, English, Assamese and Bengali. But, major chunk is for Assamese language only."

RICOH Pro C751EX delivers superior 4800 dpi image quality, enhanced media handling, and incredible value for the most challenging and unique print publishing jobs. This powerful and versatile production printer is ideal for books and in-house print centers that need one system to do it all. It has a speed of 75 pages per minute and can accommodate large-size, thick stock up to 300 gsm, making the system ideal for direct mailers, book and variable data printing.

While, the RICOH Pro 8100 Series black-and-white production MFP offers a combination of power and versatility to deliver high-quality output. It can produce up to 135 black-and-white pages per minute and create

Assam based printer does self publishing books with the help of Ricoh digital printer

compelling images with up to 1200 x 4800 dpi resolution. It can handle a wide range of media up to 13" x 19.2".

“We wish to do all sorts of digital applications like visiting cards, letterheads, book marks, flyers, tags, presentation folders, post cards, table tents, note pads, books, brochures, booklets, annual reports, magazine & souvenir, product catalogues, calendars, posters, invitation & greeting cards etc,” he said.

Rajeev Group also specialises in innovation in designing management, conversion and digitisation, CAD & GIS printing, HD & 3D digital printing, pop signage, eco solvent printing, solvent printing, 3D laser engraving, italian framing, etc.

Alexandra Bracken to pen Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Disney Publishing W o r l d w i d e (DPW) has

announced that New York Times bestselling author Alexandra Bracken (The Darkest Minds, Never Fade, In the Afterlight) will pen Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope: Being the Story of Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and the Rise of the Rebellion.

The upcoming global release, scheduled for sale on June 23, 2015, will be the first in a series of new illustrated novels based on the original Star Wars film trilogy. The classic Saga will come to life through adaptations by Bracken and other bestselling children’s authors previously announced including Tom Angleberger and Adam Gidwitz. Each of these celebrated writers will bring their contemporary, unique voice to the project, bridging the multi-arc storyline in anticipation of the release of Star Wars Episode VII in December 2015.

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