Guwahati, Oct. 31: The 12-day North East Book Fair, scheduled to begin at the Assam Engineering Institute playground in Chandmari tomorrow, will hold a special programme to recall the contributions of eight Assamese writers whose birth anniversary has crossed 100 years.
“We will organise a two-day programme as a tribute to writers Hem Barua, Devakanta Barua, Lakshyadhar Choudhury, Maheswar Neog, Kanchan Barua, Munin Borkotoky, Gajen Barua and Dinanath Sarma,” said Ajit Kumar Barman, president of the All Assam Publishers’ and Book Sellers’ Association, the organiser of the fair.
This is the 16th edition of the fair where 80 publishers and booksellers’ organisations from Assam, Agartala, Calcutta, Ludhiana, Mumbai, New Delhi, Siliguri and other places will take part.
Sixteen prominent personalities from the field of art, culture and literature will light lamps tomorrow at the inaugural function. Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi and Union minister of state for sports Sarbananda Sonowal are expected to be present.
Students, writers, intellectuals and publishers will take out a procession from Ambari to the book fair venue at 1pm.
Barman said Union human resources minister Smriti Irani has consented to attend the book fair but the date has not been finalised yet.
Renowned scientist Jitendra Nath Goswami is also expected to visit the fair. Barman said resource persons from all over the country will attend the fair everyday to take part in programmes. Competitions for students, book releases, symposia and cultural programmes are also lined up.
The association’s general secretary Dhiraj Goswami said the fair was to be held in the last quarter of December, as in previous years, but had to be moved ahead by two months because of the state government’s sudden decision to hold the Guwahati Book Fair from December 25 at the same venue.
As a result, Goswami said, they had to prepare in a hurry and several participants, including one each from Bangladesh and Italy, could not participate.
Last year, over 4 lakh visitors had visited the book fair and books worth Rs 2.5 crore had been sold.
Goswami said entry for students would be free if they produce identity cards.
