Odia books rule at Rajdhani fair

BHUBANESWAR: Books in Odia have emerged the most sought-after items at the ongoing 15th Rajdhani Book Fair here.
Organizers, who have put in extra efforts to push for books in the state language, were also surprised at the response. "It is really surprising to see that Odia literature has made such a strong comeback. Not just the elderly, but youngsters are also buying Odia books, including classic novels and story books," said convener of the fair Ramesh Chandra Swain.
Swain said, "This year we have ensured that book stalls selling Odia literature occupy prominent places in the fair and youngsters coming to the fair must notice it."
There are 600 stalls at the book fair, including 450 local publishers and booksellers. "English literature has a market of its own but regional languages such as Odia have also generated a lot of interest among readers. Publishers have also started shifting their attention. The main reason is the popularity of e-books for which publishers are not incurring losses," said Akshay Das, a publisher.
A wide range of genres of Odia language books starting from Odia classics and short stories collections to books on poetry, translations and children's literature are also available. Works of young writers have also been displayed to create interest among youngsters.
"Odia certainly has a rich literary tradition, which was proved after the language received classical status last year. But, unfortunately, the readership of Odia language is not satisfactory and there is a need for creating awareness among young readers about works of noted writers like Fakir Mohan Senapati, Gopinath Mohanty, Manoj Das, Nityananda Mahapatra, Surendra Mohanty and others," said Madan Mohan Panda, a book lover.
Everyday several events such as interactive sessions, book reading and poetry recitations are being held at the fair. As many as 20 books will also be released during the fair and about 12 writers will be felicitated at the fair, which concludes on December 15.