Dasara book fair to showcase 50,000 books in 90 stalls

A nine-day book exhibition and sale will be held at the Scouts and Guides Grounds in Mysuru from September 22 to October 1, as part of Dasara festivities.

The Department of Kannada and Culture, Mysuru, Dasara Festival Committee, and the Kannada Book Authority, Bengaluru, will jointly organise the book fair.

Kannada Book Authority chairman Manasa told reporters at a press conference here on Friday that the book fair has been an integral part of Mysuru Dasara every year, and this edition is unique with special attractions.

Minister for Kannada and Culture Shivaraj S. Tangadagi will inaugurate the book fair. Kannada Department Secretary M.V. Venkatesh and Director K.M. Gayatri will be present. The exhibition will remain open daily from 10 a.m. to 8.30 p.m.

He said the book fair will feature selfie sessions with authors, cultural programmes, and seminars. Newly published books will be released every morning at 11 a.m. to encourage authors. During the Dasara inaugural function atop Chamundi Hill on September 22 at 10.30 a.m., Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will release “Baduku Baraha”, a 350-page book authored by Shivanand on International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq, which is published by the Kannada Book Authority.

With 90 stalls and nearly 50,000 books, the event aims to bring together writers and publishers. To draw readers’ attention, a book chariot will tour the city from September 20. Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikanth Reddy will flag off the chariot at the Kuvempu statue on the Manasagangothri campus, he said.

Writers, including L.N. Mukundaraj, Vasudhendra, Sukanya Maruti, M. Krishnegowda, Aravind Malagatti, T.V. Venkatachalashastri, and others, will visit book stalls and interact with readers under the ‘Selfie with Authors’ initiative from September 23 to 30.

Cultural programmes and seminars will be held daily at 4.30 p.m. at the Kuvempu stage in association with Karnataka’s academies of Music and Dance, Literature, Folklore, Yakshagana, theatre, Lalitkala, along with the Santakavi Kanakadasa Study Centre and Yuvaraja’s College.

A panel discussion on “Baduku Baraha”, bhavageete and poetry sessions, folk, and theatre songs, book readings, seminars on Basavanna and Kanakadasa, and Yakshagana performances are part of the event.

The book fair will also host daily book release sessions, featuring works by H. Nagaveni, Rahmat Tarikere, Purushottam Bilimale, Sannarama, Meti Mallikarjun, Narasimhamurthy Hoovinahalli, M.R. Manjunath, Ashok P. Mani, S. Sundar Kaliveer, Shreyas H.S., and several others.

Book Fair convener V.N. Mallikarjunaswamy, University of Mysore Prasaranga director Nanjayya Honganur, administrative officer K.B. Kiran Singh, and committee members were present.