By: Rokibuz Zaman
GUWAHATI: Books depicting Assam’s history, especially on movements and the Ulfa, are most in demand at the ongoing Book Fair here. Some of the bestsellers or titles most visible in stalls are ‘Life of a Driver’ by Rupam Dutta, Dhirumoni Gogoi’s ‘Nisiddha Yoddha,’ ‘The Untold Stories’, Ulfar Kolonkito Adhyay by Ranju Neog Hazarika and the famous Assamese novel ‘Sanglat Fenla’ by late journalist Parag Kumar Das.
“In earlier editions of the fair, books on fiction and novels were mostly in demand. But this year there has been an increased interest in books on Assam’s history,” said Rimashree Kardong of Barna Publication.
‘Ulfar Kolonkito Adhyay’ takes a peek into the dark days when Ulfa cadres had unleashed a reign of terror. There are accounts of 41 victims and a number of articles on terrorism. ‘Nisiddha Yoddha’ talks about the deaths of hundreds of soldiers from the 28th Battalion of Ulfa during army operations.
Assam has been witnessing a series of agitations in protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which allegedly violates the historic Assam Accord, signed after six years of anti-foreigner movement. Rimashree feels the books were purchased in protest and this spirit is new to the fair.
Flying off shelves are Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Ailoi Chithi’, Assamese translation of ‘Letter to Mother’ and Hiren Bhattacharya’s ‘Compilation of essays’. Novelist Gitali Bora’s ‘Antaratam’ has also been a big draw, fair organizers said.
Manas Hazarika of Banalata Publication said the protracted lockdown helped revive reading habits among people. “Shops were closed during the shutdown and book lovers could not buy books. So when the fair opened, they came out with a vengeance. Youths have formed the biggest chunk of buyers and they are ordering in bulk,” said Hazarika.
The organisers have been taken by surprise as the footfall has crossed 5 lakh and books over Rs 8 crore have been sold. “We were not expecting such a large turnout in times of Covid,” said a publisher.
Pramod Kalita, secretary general of the Publication Board Assam said all kinds of books have been sold at the fair. New titles, old books, all are in demand. About 200 new books have been released this year at the fair. “People bought books because they reinvented reading during the days of lockdown and want to continue with the habit,” said Kalita.
Altogether 130 publishers and sellers are participating in the fair.