Thanks to the popularity of Pakistani shows in India, the demand for fiction writing from the subcontinent is on a rise. Novels like Zindagi Gulzar Hai and Maat by author and screenwriter Umera Ahmad are being picked up the most at the ongoing World Book Fair. By Divya Kaushik
This edition of World Book Fair surely has a lot of fortune in store for Pakistani publishers. On the opening day itself, the three Pakistani stalls at the foreign pavilion were witnessing a significant number of visitors.
Unlike other years, it was not the books on Pakistani history, music and poetry that were in demand, rather people were asking for Pakistani dramas and fiction. Thanks to Zindagi channel and the popularity of its shows, Pakistani dramas by known authors like Nimra Ahmed and Umera Ahmad are very much in demand. “Pakistani dramas and fiction writing were always known for its intensity and they have been widely read. But through TV shows these stories have reached to the masses.
There have been a surge in demand of novels by Umera Ahmad, who is a well-known screenwriter in Pakistan. Most of her books have been produced as TV shows. Some of them that have become really popular in India are Zindagi Gulzar Hai, Maat, Uraan, Aks and Behadd,” says M Gauhar Iqbal of Manshurat Publishers and Distributors. Though most of these writings are in Urdu, there are some like Pir-e-Kamil that are available in English translation as well.
Iqbal informs that in the last one month he has received orders for more than 700 copies of the novel that deals with the turning points in intervening lives of two people — a runaway girl named Imama Hashim and a boy named Salar Sikander having an IQ level above 150. “I am sure we will have to soon consider translation for other novels as well, keeping in mind the rising demand for Pakistani fiction in India,” says Iqbal.
Peeping out of hundred other books were Kashaf and Zaroon (the actors who played the lead characters from Zindagi Gulzar Hai) on the cover page of the novel. The show’s popularity has been such that the book is selling almost in double numbers with the picture of its lead actors on the cover page. “We have an entire section of the stall dedicated to books that have been made as a TV series so that people who are specially coming here looking out for those are able to locate them easily.
We only have Urdu books here and we even had buyers who could not read Urdu but just buying the book for the keep’s sake,” says Shahzad Alam from a Karachi-based publishing house, who has been a regular at the book fair but has never seen such demand for Pakistani fiction. “Because of royalty issues, Pakistani dramas are expensive as compared to other fiction writings but people are willing to pay the amount this year. The most expensive drama that we have is Jannat Ke Pattay by Nimra Ahmed. It is priced at Rs1,500. Others range between Rs200 to Rs900,” says Alam.
Namrata Gohil is a housewife who visited the book fair to have a look at the collection but she was overwhelmed to find a copy of Maat, that she followed regularly on TV. “I was not planning to buy anything but this was one of my favourite shows on TV and I would really want to read the original text,” she says. Alam is expecting many visitors like Gohil in the days to come. “Not many know that these books are easily available here, as the word will spread, we are expecting more buyers,” he says.
Apart from the books that we have seen as TV shows, there is also an increase in demand in Urdu story books for children. A lahore-based publisher informs that on the first day itself he sold a good number of children story books. Ayesha Siddiqi, who has been looking for books for her three-year-old daughter, feels that Urdu story books are a good way to introduce children to Urdu writing at an early age. “Through these story books that come with illustrations, children can learn basics of Urdu at home,” she says.
Kids’ corner
Rhondeni Kikon is a student of social work in Nagaland. She tells the story of a girl to address the fact that in most cases of exploitation and child abuse, a close relative is involved. Kikon is not present at the book fair, she tells this story through short a comic strip that is displayed in an exhibition by World Comics India to educate children on socially relevant issues in an interesting way.
like this, there are others that talk about freedom given to girls in the family to go out and work and pursue their passions. Some issues that adolescents face are also a part of this exhibition. Alongside this exhibition is a section dedicated to the works of cartoonist RK laxman. The two exhibitions are the highlight of the children's pavilion at the book fair.
This year it is not just the books and comics that are keeping children engaged, there are various activities like flash mobs, plays and dance dramas by students to educate kids on socially relevant issues.