Saturday, Jan 21, 2012
Kottayam: The sports ground of Mahatma Gandhi University has been buzzing with activity ever since the International Book Fair (INBOFA 2012) began almost a week ago.

Conceived to be an academic carnival for promoting serious readership, the event is also an attempt by the university to enable its libraries and those of its affiliated colleges to purchase good books. Such efforts are also being made in order to strengthen the university's curriculum reforms that had been implemented recently. According to Rajan Varughese, Pro Vice-Chancellor and general convener of the event, the book fair is being organised with the whole-hearted support of the affiliated colleges. Notably, the managements of the unaided colleges also contributed in a significant manner, he says.

The event also received support from the government. “The Government had accorded sanction to the Director of Collegiate Education for permitting the government and aided colleges to purchase library books from the fair,” said Dr. Varughese.

As part of the book fair, related programmes including book reading and book launch sessions are also being held. Noted writers including Anand, Sara Joseph and Sethu are some of those who had participated in the various sessions.

Seminars that are being conducted as part of the event have touched upon various topics of relevance in the current scenario.

Eminent personalities including Romila Thapar, historian; C.N.R. Rao, chairman, Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister; V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, Ex-Officio Principal Secretary, Department of Science and Technology; T.P. Sreenivasan, vice-chairman, State Higher Education Council; Sebastian Paul, media critic; B. Ekbal, former Vice-Chancellor, University of Kerala had participated in discussions pertaining to various topics. More that 50 publishers including Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press India Pvt. Ltd., Orient Blackswan Pvt. Ltd., Kerala Sahitya Akademi, Kerala Bhasha Institute, S. Chand and Company, Wiley India Pvt. Ltd., Current Books India Pvt. Ltd. have set up their own stalls.