Visitors at the book fair at Bali yatra ground in Cuttack. Pictures by Badrika Nath Das
Cuttack, Dec. 26: The sale at the book fair being organised by the National Book Trust in the city will be around 15 to 20 per cent more than the last year, said the co-ordinator of the event.
'This year, over 100 publishers took part in the fair that begun on December 18. The book fair has witnessed a huge footfall, and we expect our sales to cross Rs 1.20 crore by the end of today, which is the last day of the fair,' said Bijayananda Singh, the local co-ordinator of the event at Bali yatra ground.
The event has received an overwhelming response in the city with book lovers flocking to the ground every day.
Sources said that last year, books worth nearly Rs 1 crore had been sold, and this year, the sale was expected to be more.
This time, the fair, which had started four years ago, housed over 90 stalls. With the each passing year, the number of publishers has only increased.
Earlier, 40 to 50 publishers used to take part in the event. But now, the number has crossed 100.
A wide range of fiction and non-fiction books was put on display at the kiosks.
However, this year, a special pavilion selling the Odia publications became the centre of attraction.
A large number of translated works in English and other regional languages are also available.
A member of the organisers said the National Book Trust had come up with over 500 publications in Odia, and efforts were on to come up with almost 25 new publications every year.
'This is the place to be for the bibliophiles of the city. They have a great collection,' said Subhra Kanungo, a visitor.
The kiosks also had a sizeable number of books for the children. Moreover, a number of them were offering huge discounts and, therefore, many people flocked to those kiosks.
Stands selling various computer tutorials and those of the Central Board of Secondary Education courses in DVD format turned out to be a hit with students.
'We have come up with study material for the students of Class VIII to X. The DVDs are specially designed for easy learning. The price starts from Rs 499,' said Ashutosh Yadav, a kiosk owner.
