PANAJI
The Dogears Bookshop, Margao, in association with Publishing Next will organise the first edition of the Goa Book Fair at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, from February 9 to 13 between 10 am and 8 pm. The initiative is supported by the Ministry and Directorate of Art and Culture.
The first of its kind in Goa in many years, the Goa Book Fair will have a large number of publishers and booksellers attending with a variety of books that spans languages and genres.
The organisations displaying their books include the National Book Trust, Sahitya Akademi, Wonder House (a large and reputed children's book imprint), Konkani Bhasha Mandal, the Pune-based Rajhans Prakashan, and others.
Many more publishing houses like Penguin Random House, HarperCollins India, Scholastic India, Pratham Books, Amar Chitra Katha, and others will be represented through the many bookshops attending the book fair.
Books in English, Hindi, Marathi, and Konkani will be available for browsing and purchase.
In addition to the stalls by booksellers and publishers, workshops and activity sessions for children will also be organised in the Wonder House Children's Pavillion. These sessions will be conducted by educators from around Goa, and will provide another dimension to the Goa Book Fair. Some sessions for adults are also planned.
While the Goa Book Fair promises a feast of books for readers, it also presents schools, colleges, and other institutions a unique opportunity to engage with these publishers and booksellers for their library requirements.
"We are delighted the way the Goa Book Fair has shaped up," said Leonard Fernandes, co-owner of The Dogears Bookshop in Margao, and one of the organisers of the Goa Book Fair. "It's been a dream to introduce new books to readers in Goa, and going by the participation and quality of the participants, we will be able to do just that. We are excited about its prospects and expect a large crowd to visit the book fair and make the most of the large number of books on display there.”
