Guwahati News Desk: Due to the present Covid-19 scenario, the Publication Board of Assam and the All Assam Publishers and Book Sellers Association will jointly organise the Assam Book Fair for the first time, dubbed “Assam Grontho Mela.” Book lovers have already been missing the book fair for over two years as it was cancelled due to violent demonstrations over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in 2019, and the new coronavirus destroyed dreams of all publishers, printers, and readers the year before.
Due to the present Covid-19 scenario, the Publication Board of Assam and the All Assam Publishers and Book Sellers Association will simultaneously conduct the Assam Book Fair for the very first time, dubbed “Assam Grontho Mela.”
It will run for twelve days, from the 29th of December 2021 to the 9th of January 2022, at the Assam Engineering Institute Playground in Chandmari. At a media announcement today in Assam Prakashan Parishad, a book publisher in Bamunimaidan, Guwahati, Dr Noni Gopal Mahanta, Imran Ahmed, Baharul Islam Choudhury, Jagdish Mahanta Chaliha, and Pramod Kalita delivered the details.
Imran Ahmed stated that they would like to have two book fairs since it generates revenue and improves business, but due mainly to covid, they have decided to do a combined trade show. He also stated that Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma agreed with the idea to hold a unified book fair this year, although if the condition recovers, 2 different book fairs will be held next year.
Pramod Kalita, Secretary of the Board, stated that a 14-member organization comprising two Executives and two Coordinators was designed to make judgments. Proposals will be extended to several national and international publishing companies, and eleven publishers from Bangladesh have already answered. The topic will be focused on the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and current societal challenges. The topic hasn’t been completely unveiled yet, but the procedure will begin today.
