Pune:
The 9th edition of the five-day Pune Book Fair was inaugurated on Wednesday by founder president of Symbiosis, SB Mujumdar. A highlight of the event this year is participation by international publishers.
Mujumdar said the book fair is a forum where publishers, writers and readers come together. "I feel more book fairs should be organised in rural sectors as there are many distractions in urban areas. A book can revolutionise a person, who in turn can change society and the country," he said.
The fair is being held at Kamayani ground in Patrakarnagar, off Senapati Bapat Road.
On the occasion, Lokayat released two books, 'Bharat Punha Gulami Kade' and 'Utha Manasa'. The books were released by retired judge of the Bombay high court, Kolse Patil and Mujumdar.
Bharat Punha Gulami Kade is a critique of the present policies of the Indian government, where the emphasis is only on increasing the growth rate, even when it is becoming evident that this growth is not trickling down to the common people.
Utha Manasa is a collection of songs in Marathi and Hindi on the progressive movement of the country.
The Saudi cultural attache office has also put up a stall with books on culture and tradition. Sumama Faisal said, "We participated in the World Book Fair in Delhi and received a good response. So we decided to participate in the Pune Book Fair."
The culture house of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has been participating in the fair for quite some time now, also has its stall.
An Iranian official, Mohammad Dabiri said, "We also have books on the culture of Iran in Marathi and Hindi."
Khadiyan, a publishing house from Gurdaspur, Punjab, has participated in the fair for the first time. The stall has books on Islam and science. "We are here not for business, but we want to educate people about Islam," said Roshan Ahmed, a member.
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