Jamshedpur, Nov. 21: Books on regional and tribal languages are the hot sellers at the 20th Jamshedpur Book Fair-2004.

From books on tribal languages like Santhali, Mundari to regional languages like Gurumukhi, Urdu, and Bengali, this time the fair is decked up for every segment of readers.

According to publishers, though the books on English and Hindi tops the chart, tribal and other regional languages have also gained significant popularity this time and the buyers are flocking the stalls. Aadim Book Store, an exclusive stall on Santhali language, has witnessed an overwhelming rise in sale within two days of the fair.

The stall-owner, T.K. Manjhi, said books based on Olchiki script are selling like hot cakes. The store this time has brought a wide collection of books based on literature, history. ?After the creation of Jharkhand, publication in tribal languages has gained pace,? said Manjhi.

Demand for books written by Raghunath Murmu, the father of Santhali literature, is extremely high. Murmu?s book of poetry, Guru Gomke Hillar and Hasur Beda has recently hit the market and is proving the largest selling book in the stall, he said.

Books like Learn Santhali, Santhali dictionary have also attracted the tribals. The famous children magazine Chandamama is now available in Santhali.

?I have bought a book, Learn Santhali for my children to help them learn their own native language. While for myself, I have bought magazine, Chandamama. I want to enjoy the fun of reading children?s magazine in my own language,? said Ishwar Murmu.Mundari is another tribal language for which the buyers are looking for. An encyclopaedia on Munadri has been made available for the first time in the fair and the buyers are pouring in.

Books in Gurumukhi are available in the stall of Sikh Missionary College, Ludhiana. According to the stall owner, Bhupinder Singh, though this is the third year of their participation but the sale this time is much higher than previous years.

?We are thrilled at the response of readers. Not only Sikhs, but other Punjabi-speaking people are also coming in large numbers,? said Singh. The stalls of Visva-Bharti and Aurobindo Ashram feature a wide range of Bengali books.

?Tagore?s poetry is all time favourite, but this year, books on philosophy of Kavi Guru is in hot demand,? said Swapan Sen of Visva Bharti.