GUWAHATI : This time, a poet from Indonesia has been invited to participate in Assam Book Fair, being held in Guwahati from 29th of December, 2022. The second edition of Assam Book Fair will have Tara Nusantara as a special invitee. The fair this time will last for 12 days.
Last year, in 2021, two poets from Indonesia were invited to the fair. Performance poetry is different from written poetry as it is performed in front of an audience. Its all about expressing your words with gestures and conveying the story to the people. The term gained much importance in the 1980s.
The secretary of the Publication Board of Assam, Pramod Kalita, stated that the prime objective behind inviting international artists and poets to the book fair is to enhance the exchange of thoughts, literature and ideas.
This year the state has invited Nusantara with the view that she will motivate the aspiring poets and writers with her presence. Apart from Indonesia, more than 150 book publishers as well as sellers from different states of India will participate in the fair.
Those slated to participate include publishers from Delhi, Kolkata, Punjab and Bangladesh. However, there are list of applicants including publishers and sellers, waiting for approval to set up stalls in the Assam Book Fair. The secretary further mentioned that the permissions were given on the basis of whoever applied for the space first.
As per reports, no more space is left on the Assam Engineering Institute playground. Nevertheless, the secretary informed that if possible some space would be arranged for the people in waiting list. Last year, the 12 day- long event generated a revenue of Rs 5 crore, despite pandemic restrictions.
The Publication Board of Assam is expecting better business as the country is free from any sort of COVID-19 restrictions. Kalita further said that, the Board will launch 20 new books from its side this time.
Prior to this, the Board used to conduct the Guwahati Book Fair, and the All Assam Publishers and Book Sellers Association was the pillar behind the Northeast Book Fair. In 2021, both of these were merged to launch the Assam Book Fair.
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