The Hindu : Now a book mall for World Book Capital

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 29, 2003

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Now a book mall for World Book Capital

By K. Kannan

NEW DELHI APRIL 28.

NEW DELHI, APRIL 28. The newly-crowned ''World Book Capital'' will soon have a ''book mall'' of its own. The National Book Trust (NBT) will set up a permanent book pavilion here at Pragati Maidan displaying the latest publications in all languages for the public.

With UNESCO and the International Publishing Association declaring New Delhi as ''World Book Capital'' for the year 2003, a series of steps are being taken to project the city as a true representative of the Indian publishing industry. The NBT also proposes to establish a ''book museum'' to protect and preserve India's ancient treasure of books.

Says the NBT Chairman, Brij Kishore Sharma: ''While the book museum is still in a conceptual stage and will take some time before it becomes a reality, the book mall will be opened later this year.''

With India having a large storehouse of manuscripts, the NBT has decided to approach the National Museum to exhibit some of this rich treasure for the public. ''We will be working closely with the Central Department of Culture's Manuscript Mission to plan and organise this exhibition,'' informs Mr. Sharma.

While the primary aim of the yearlong celebrations is to make India a book-reading society, the NBT will also strive to set up a modern user-friendly library network across the country whereby the latest books, CDs and micro-films are easily accessible.

''There is also an imminent need to bridge the gap between demand and supply. Accordingly, a string of bookshops would be opened across Delhi where books are made available at reasonable rates,'' says Mr. Sharma. ''More bookstores/shops and permanent stalls at other places including Dilli Haat would also be opened.''

Interestingly, children will be the prime target of all promotional ventures during the year. ''To begin with, 44 book exhibitions are scheduled to take place in Delhi from May 1 to 5,'' says the NBT Chairman. Other activities being planned for the first week of May include a drawing competition for children

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