Trio from Indian publishing world make themselves at home at SIBF
- 07 Nov 2022
Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer
Publishers and publishing bodies have found Sharjah International Book Fair a publishing home away from home over the years. Here we speak of those from India, who have made themselves at home at the fair. Old favourite National Book Trust (NBT) of India has been a consistent participant in SIBF.
It is the nodal agency of the Government of India, established in 1957 as an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Education, Department of Higher Education, that plays an important role in promoting Indian books abroad.
Apart from publishing books in various Indian languages on a wide variety of subjects ranging from works of fiction to books on popular sciences, as well as books for children and for all age groups, the Trust also organises book fairs across the country and coordinates Indian participation at various international book fairs. In this capacity, it co-ordinated the Guest of Honour Presentation of India at Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (2019).
At SIBF 2022, it is showcasing a collective exhibition of more than 200 titles in English, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Sindhi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu, representing the work of 31 Indian publishers, including NBT. Dwijendra Kumar, NBT Assistant Editor, has flown down from New Delhi where the Trust is headquartered, to Sharjah. “We are here to promote Indian books,” he said.
He said that the fair gave NBT the opportunity to draw attention of publishers from across the globe to “look at our books, their contents, purchase translation rights and join co-publishing programmes.” “Sharjah is a good place for us, because there are many Indian readers here; the UAE hosts more Indians than any other country in the Gulf. Coming to Sharjah is like bringing India home to Indians,” he said, adding that his countrymen were “enthusiastic readers.”
Rakesh Kumar, NBT Deputy Director, pointed out that India is currently celebrating the 75th anniversary of its Independence. “There are eight million Indians residing in the Gulf countries,” he said. “To commemorate the occasion, we have published books on all freedom fighters in all major languages of the country. The series can be seen in our stall.” He noted that India has brought out the New Education Policy, wherein the primary education of children has to be provided in the mother tongue also.
To support this policy, NBT is producing bi-lingual books. He also said that the Trust is preparing in a big way to host the New Delhi World Book Fair (Feb. 25 — Mar. 5, 2023). It is the largest book event in the Afro-Asian region. As Yuvraj Malik, NBT Director has put it in an introductory publication, “the last few decades have seen a phenomenal growth of Indian publishing both in terms of content and diversity of genres and quality of production … Indian writing today commands a strong international presence, earning worldwide respect for its authors, scholars and scientists.”
Trade promotion body Capexil, has also been a loyal participant in SIBF. It facilitates and strengthens India’s publishing and printing industry’s external trade. Those familiar with the layout of the fair will recall that the Capexil stall is always located next to the NBT stall. “We export books, publications and make printing services accessible to more than 120 countries around the world,” says Ramesh K Mittal, Capexil Chairman, Books, Publications & Printing Panel, in a catalogue. “The book industry is worth over US$9.5 billion approximately and growing at around 15 per cent every year.” Sunil Kumar, Capexil Deputy Director, is attending the fair.
“We are supporting the participants,” he said. “There are 25 new participants this time and we take care of their problems.” He said that the continuity of SIBF makes Indian publishers comfortable and is “very helpful for those taking part.” Capexil is hosting a “reverse buyer-seller meet” for books on December 18 – 20 in Jaipur, Rajasthan State, India.
The body is making every effort to increase the volume of exports, also under the leadership of A M S G Ashokan, President. Ajeet Singh Meena is Assistant Director, Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. He is representing Publications Division at SIBF.
“We have published new books to coincide with the celebrations of India’s 75th anniversary of Independence,” he said, bringing out a few volumes from the shelves to illustrate his point. They include ‘Untold Stories of the Freedom Struggle from Northeast India’; ‘Indian Armed Forces in World War I’ and ‘Netaji: A Life in Pictures’. “We would like people to visit our stall and learn about Indian life and culture,” he said. Meena found the atmosphere of the fair “exciting”.
“We have school children coming in the mornings and crowds of adults in the evenings,” he said. He liked the stall arrangements and said that “this year, we have produced a game on Android App titled ‘Azadi Quest’. (‘Azadi’ means freedom in Urdu language). “It has questions on India’s freedom struggle, based on a quiz and trivia format.”
“Young children can learn about the rich heritage of the country at our stall through our publications. For adults, we are promoting Gandhian literature,” he concluded. SIBF’s debut edition was launched in 1982 under the guidance and patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. It is today recognised as one of the world’s top publishing events, and is the largest in the Arab world.