The crowd at the Delhi World Book Fair is echoing the fact that though the technology has advanced and the books are being digitalised, and there are varied means of entertainment, the charm for books will never end. A large number of book lovers of all age-groups are visiting the fair and participating in literary events.
Seminar on translation
National Book Trust in collaboration with Centre for Translation Studies, St Stephen’s College organised a seminar on ‘Translation and the Idea of India’. The seminar was inaugurated by A Sethumadhavan, chairman, NBT. He said, “language has no boundaries and there should be no boundaries in translation as well.” He added that translation help literary exchange and brings the people of different regions closer. The session was chaired by Valsan Thampu, principal, St Stephen’s College.
Theme pavilion
The musical presentation by Tetseo Sisters, Mercy and Kuku who belong to the Chakhesang tribe, one of the major tribes of Nagaland, enthralled the audience at the theme pavilion. They sang songs in chokri dialect. A panel discussion on the topic ‘Inside Out: living on the Edge of a Nation’ was also organised. Sethumadhavan gave the opening remarks. He said, “I found the theme presentation very encouraging because this is an area where lots need to be done. There is a need to focus on what’s happening in emerging Indian languages including ethnic Northeast languages.” He also opined that translation provides a platform for exchange of ideas and literature.
Children’s pavilion
A large number of children along with their parents and teachers visited the children’s pavilion and participated in the activities. An interactive story-making session Chalo Banayen Ek Kahani was organised by NBT in association with Harikrishna Devsare Children’s literature Trust.
Events corner
An illustrator’s workshop for children based on an Iranian Story was organized by Iran Culture House. Zora Singh, chancellor of Desh Bhagat University, Chandigarh graced the programme as the chief guest among several dignitaries. MA Sikandar, director of NBT, India proposed the vote of thanks and acknowledged that the Iranian are highly educated and has strong reading culture.