BANGALORE: The ninth season of the Bangalore Book Festival 2011, organised by the Bangalore Booksellers and Publishers Association (BBPA), was inaugurated by Jnanpith awardee Chandrashekhar Kambar on Friday at the Palace Grounds.“With the onset of the computer age and Google, the habit of reading among youngsters as well as the middle-aged people, have come down drastically. However, when exhibitions and fairs like these are organised, one will definitely not leave the premises without a book or two in hand,” said Kambar."Such initiatives are the only solution to get the habit of reading back into children and the youth,” he added.The fair being South India’s biggest ever festival, has received participation from the country’s leading publishers, distributors, exporters and importers. “There are more than 340 stalls in the fair which offer books of various languages including, Sanskrit, Urdu, Malayalam, Telugu and more. Kannada books alone are spread over 79 stalls,” said President of BBPA Balram Sadhwani.“We are certainly expecting an overwhelming response this year, as this is a platform for book lovers of all ages- from 6 to 60. In fact, we are expecting a turn-over of around Rs 15 crore this year,” he added.The 10-day event will also see various seminars being held, in collaboration with The Federation of Publisher’s and Bookseller’s Associations of India, on topics like Piracy of Books, Production and Marketting of e-Books among others. Special attractions will include cultural programmes in the evenings, comprising of Gaana Vinodini Tandavarinda, Nage Mallige Haasya Karyakrama and magic show by Kadaba Sreenivasa among others.The fair will be open from 11 am to 8 pm, with an entry ticket fee of Rs 20.
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