The Shillong Book Fair, 2014
Mrs. M.W. Nongbri, Director of Arts and Culture, Shillong, inaugurated the first of its kind book fair called The Shillong Book Fair, 2014 in collaboration with The Sahaki Society, Shillong recently.
The three day event aims to revive the art of reading and learning and to instill in the child, the pleasures of reading.
A sample of a hand made book from Tara Books
“Reading the book cover to cover can last a lifetime.” said Mrs. Nongbri.
Shillong has always been the epicenter of academic life in North East India. Students from most of the states of this region have come here to study, to form the basis of purposeful careers. It has become a hub of cultural life with an immense talent for the arts and creative literary writing.
Food stalls
This literary event held at the State Central Library Complex, Shillong, Meghalaya, was an idyllic setting, creating an avenue where rich history blended with the perfect natural settings.
It was a meditative aura comprising of book launches, panel discussions, discussions on fundamentals of poetry; talks on indigenous literature, understanding the world of publishing, working in the age of digital hybridity, spell bee competitions,storytelling etc.
Mrs. M.W. Nongbri inaugrating the pavilion leading to the books display at The Shillong Book Fair 2014
It will appeal to both children and adults as it will introduce them to the world of books, wisdom and knowledge.
The objective is to create a forum for a creative revolution, to encourage and involve people of all sections of the society to take collective responsibility to promote and develop the creative process.
Mrs. Sambha Lamarr (L) Secretary of Sahaki Society and Mrs. Matseiwdor War Nongbri (R) Director Department of Arts and Culture,Govt. of Meghalay
It is a display of how writers must learn to build their brand, manage distribution channels, and attract sales and revenues. It will show how to build a brand as an author or even a part time writer as learning the business side of writing is central to the success of a good book.
Students checking out books in a stall.
The fair had a wide variety of books ranging from beautifully hand-crafted books from Tara, to well know publishers and authors, to books by the various indigenous authors and even second hand books.
It is a showcase to introduce a bigger collection of books to the publishers,to participate and share with people some of the world’s best reading material and to introduce to the public the aspects of the publishing industry.
Terry O’brien(L), Noorul Hasan(M) moderated by Melanie Feegrade War during an interactive session
The fair portrayed the message that the magic of a powerful book can bring about a change in the reading culture of the society.
