Karnataka - Bangalore

‘Kannada books being digitised’

BANGALORE: As the Bangalore Book Festival opened here on Friday, Director of Public Libraries P.Y. Rajendra Kumar had welcome news for those hooked on Kannada books: the Government was in the process of digitising one lakh Kannada titles, of which 39,000 books were available in a new format.

Crowds trickled in their hundreds on the first day, as publishers and book sellers spread out their ware — over a million titles, in fact.

Books ranged from religion to cinema, computers to comics, history to fiction and language to logic.

There were 286 stalls in all but the organisers were not willing to entertain stalls that peddled second-hand books. The festival organisers were heard warning the stall owners to take off such books.

Mr. Kumar was convinced that the book reading habit was not on the wane. Last year, the festival had a turnover of Rs. 20 crore and the book fair arranged at the Sahitya Sammelan in Shimoga generated about Rs. 6 crore revenue.

Writer Chandrashekhar Kambar, who formally inaugurated the book festival and went around the exhibition area, was also certain that book reading as a habit was poised for growth.

To encourage Kannada book publishers, the Kannada Book Authority had extended a grant of Rs. 1 lakh.

Kannada publishers were charged only Rs. 7,000 instead of the regular fee of Rs. 12,000.

Authors and writers were given special spaces with tables, free.

The authority has also displayed manuscripts of award-winning authors.

This exhibition is being held in collaboration with the Manohara Granthamala, Dharwad, and the Kannada Pustaka Pradhikara.

The festival organisers have spent about Rs. 1 crore to set up the makeshift infrastructure and other facilities.

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