For Delhi students, the annual book fair is almost like an education pilgrimage minus the boredom!
For Delhi students, the annual book fair is almost like an education pilgrimage minus the boredom!
In the list of 2010's most read, the embarrassing leaks by Wikileaks may figure right at the top, but if you happened to visit the Delhi Book Fair this year, the enduring romance with the hard cover would have been evident. Especially when it comes to learning a subject, there's no beating the books.
You may argue that in many countries students read up material on the net rather than going to the library, but for students in the two largest universities of the country, Delhi University (DU) and Jawahar Lal University (JNU), the romance with the hard covers continue.
At the ongoing book fair at Pragati Maidan, not just the Chetan Bhagat fans or the Freud obsessed that are turning up in droves, students are excited about checking out all kinds of releases at the largest book fair in the national capital.
"I am a regular here. As kids we used to come to the fair with the class teacher. Those were good days. But since I passed out of college, every year I make it a point to come here as I am a book lover. To find all kinds of literature from across the globe and getting lost in them is a wonderful idea," said Jamiaca L Joseph, English Literature student, Lady Sri Ram College (LSR), Delhi University.
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Books in the time of i-pad
These days even students from the best institutions get spellings wrong, but know the intricacies of an ipod or an ipad. Gadgets are the new obsession, but they still won't mind an airport novel to flip through pages to kill time, or pick up the latest tips on how to crack CAT, or become a millionaire. Or maybe learn ways of saving a romance. Whatever the reason, the book survives.
"I have never read my text books seriously. But, I love going to places that have a good collection of books. The Book Fair naturally is a huge draw. Science fiction fascinates me and I find it more intriguing than any text book. I have a whole library of such books from authors round the world," said Ishaan Bhaumik, B Sc (H) student, St Stephens College, DU.
Dr. Subas Pani, Chairman and Managing Director, India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) said:u00a0 "Despite growing acceptability of e-books and other forms of digital communications, the importance of printed books cannot be under estimated due to increasing literacy rate not only in urban but also rural India."u00a0
"This year, the theme of the fair 'Books for Rural India' was chosen with an objective of promoting book reading outside cities as well. The fair has around 265 participants including overseas participation in from China and Pakistan," he added.
Large crowds have been thronging the fair daily, despite the cold. Groups of students can be spotted at every corner in the fair. "The book fair is the best place to have a good time during the winter with lots of books, coffee and people discussing issues or talking to authors at the stalls," said Aisha Khan, JNU.
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