Charanjit Singh Teja Amritsar, April 22 The week-long Amritsar Book Fair of the National Book Trust kicked off at Khalsa College here today. Ironically, major publishers of the state, including Bhasha Vibhag (Language Department), Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjabi Sahit Akademi and most of the prominent private publishers did not set up their stalls. Lovers of Punjabi literature were left disappointed due to the non-availability of stalls of Punjabi publishers. Most of the book stalls belong to dharam gurus and religious bodies, including Baba Ramdev, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Sant Rajinder Singh, Christian missionaries and Ahmadiyya Muslims. However, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which runs its head office from the city, also failed to establish its stall. Apart from the literature of religious sects, a number of stalls were selling academic and competitive books. Some stalls were also selling electronic goods, toys and stationery items. Even the Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), which has published a large number of books and situated next to Khalsa College, didn’t set up its stall. Major private publishers, including Singh Brothers, Chetna Parkashan, Unistar/Lokgeet, Lahore Book Shop, Ravi Sahit Parkashan and Navyug Parkashan were also missing from the fair. District Bhasa Officer Bhupinder Singh Mattu said, “We did not get any book for the last five years. Now, we don’t have any book to sell. Moreover, we don’t have funds for such activities. Officials of the National Book Trust conveyed us quite late. We can arrange books from our head office, but we got the invitation late.” Sumit Gulati from Chetna Parkashan said, “The weather is not suitable to organise book fair. Organisers charge Rs 7,000 for one stall. We have to get at least four stalls. We have calculated that after spending Rs 50,000, we can not even get our input back. So we did not set up stall. The academic season is yet to start at colleges so we can’t expect students to turn up to buy books.” Renowned novelist Baldev Singh Sadaknaama, who is also the former president of the Kendri Sahit Sabha, said, “Bhasha Vibhag and Punjabi University should have established their stalls as they have published versatile literature. Financial crunch may the reason behind their non-participation.” Ravinder Singh, a visitor at the Amritsar Book Fair, said, “I wanted to buy some classic literature but most of the stalls here are selling books of their sects and religion. Punjabi literature is available only at a few stalls. It is very disappointing.”

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