5-day Kannada Pustaka mela

MYSORE: If you love books, then rejoice. Kannada Book Authority has organized a state-level Kannada Pustaka Mela at Maharaja Grounds.
Books on science, literature, education, music, general knowledge, sports, personality development, biography, dictionaries and so on are available in this expo. On day one more than 25,000 people visited the exhibition.
The five-day book fair has a wide range of Kannada books under various categories ranging from lexicons to encyclopedias to novels displayed in stalls by about 70 publishers from all over the states.Kendriya Sahitya Academy and National Book Trust have been allowed to sell English books on noted poets and other prominent personalities of Karnataka. Apart from books there are CDs and DVDs too. There are over one lakh books at the expo.
Speaking to The Times of India, Kannada Book Authority chairman Siddalingaiah said there are over one lakh titles by selected publishers including publications from various universities in the state. This happens to be the first ever mega book exhibition in Mysore. The publishers are extending minimum of 10 percent and a maximum of 50 percent concession on their publications to attract buyers. The event is also aimed at reviving reading habit among the people, especially the youngsters, added Siddalingaiah.
The organizers are spending over Rs 14 lakh for the exhibition and have collected Rs 1,000 as rent for each stall. The organizers are expecting a minimum of Rs 2 crore business in the five-day expo. The theme of the exhibition is Kannada, Kannadiga, Karnataka, said Siddalingaiah.
Raghu, final year degree student said,"It is really nice to have this type of exhibition atleast once in six months. As the publishers are from across the state we get books from all over''.
Especially books on science, personality development and general knowledge are in great demand, added Siddalingaiah. The Kannada Book Authority has printed some of the classes including Kumaravyasa, Bharata, Sri Ramayana Darshanam and Vachana Bharata which are displayed at the exhibition.
The organizers have also arranged programmes like interaction with writers and cultural events. On the occasion of Shivaratri on February 12, a special cultural programme has been organized. The exhibition will be open daily from 10 am to 8 pm till February 14.