Madurai Book Festival drawing people from far and near.
| Photo Credit:
G. MOORTHY
Book lovers donating new books at Madurai Book Festival on Sunday.
| Photo Credit:
R. ASHOK
It is a treat for bibliophiles in Madurai as they have got the opportunity to browse through the works of their favourite writers and have a glimpse of works in various genres that are on display at Tamukkam Convention Centre, here, where the Madurai Book Festival is under way.
The weekend drew people of all ages and from far and near to the book festival. From the classics of Tamil and English literature, to self help books, books on freedom fighters, leaders, science and technology, politics, competitive examinations, cookery, arts and crafts, and to anime, there were books for everyone at the book festival.
True to the word, festival, the event was not just about books. Vintage photographs of temples, stone carvings, palaces and jallikattu adorned the walls of a makeshift museum-like hall set up on the premises.
The people were first led into this makeshift hall that showcases the history of Madurai before they are led into the main hall with over 230 book stalls that have been set up for this edition of the book festival.
The book festival has received a good reception from the public. P. R. Sumathi, a government school teacher, said she had come to the book festival to buy books on arts and crafts and children’s books for her students.
“People, particularly children are getting addicted to mobile phones. It is important to instill reading habits among children”, she said, adding that books would keep the children engaged and excited.
R. Raghavi, who had come to the book festival with her two young sons, said that this was the first time she had brought her sons to any book festival. She added that it was the right age to introduce her sons to the world of books.
Books will transport you to another world. It was only about the first few pages. After that there was no looking back. One gets hooked onto reading and starts exploring new genres out of interest, she said.
The owner of a book stall selling law books for the common man, A. Paranjothi, said there was awareness among the people. The books in his book stall were the simplified versions of Acts and Rules which were easy to understand. People want to read about the Right to Information Act and land disputes which are explained in layman’s terms, he said.
A. Mathiazhagan, another stall owner, said there was a need for better marketing to increase footfall and book sales. There was a need for digital marketing and interesting offers to draw the attention of the public. The latest in the world of books should be highlighted to create an interest among the public. There was demand for anime and books on Artificial Intelligence, he said.
Another attraction at the book festival is the mobile planetarium at the exit of the main hall. Space Trip, a private firm engaged by the district administration for the book festival, has set up a mini planetarium where children get to learn about the planets and space science.
A donation box is placed at the entrance of the hall where people can donate their books. It will be donated to government schools and libraries. Cultural events and debates featuring prominent personalities are also held everyday as part of the book festival.
Writer and historian Stalin Rajangam was of the opinion that discussions on the latest books should be held on the premises to create awareness among the readers and encourage them to buy books. If there are no new book releases at the book festival and only the already available collections are on display, people may not be interested as they can buy the books from a stall outside, he added.
Madurai Collector K. J. Praveen Kumar, at the inauguration, said the number of book stalls had increased to 232 when compared to last year’s 150. The book festival was for everyone to celebrate and book stalls were set up catering to the interest of the people, he said.
The book fair is organised by the Madurai district administration and the Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India (BAPASI).
BAPASI General Secretary S.K. Murugan said they have been successfully conducting the book festival in Madurai for 19 years. Over one lakh people have visited this year’s edition so far, he said.
Dindigul
At the recently concluded book festival in Dindigul, books worth ₹3 crore were sold. Over one lakh people visited the book festival which was held for more than 10 days in Dindigul.
In a statement, Dindigul Collector S. Saravanan said 126 book stalls had been set up at the book festival. A total of 1,02,723 people attended the festival and 66 people donated 1,157 books in the donation box which will be given to the government schools and libraries. He urged the parents to set aside time for reading and instill reading habits in children.
The book festival was jointly organised by the Dindigul district administration and the Dindigul Ilakkiya Kalam. Chairperson of the Dindigul Ilakkiya Kalam R. Manoharan said awareness was created among the people and school children well ahead of the book festival.
Piggy banks (Undiyal) and token systems were introduced. Students were encouraged to save money in the piggy banks. This was done to instill a habit of saving among the students. The students used the amount they saved to buy books. There was a sense of ownership. A platform was also created at the book festival to encourage the students to talk about the book they had bought and read, he said.
Students could also pay and buy tokens. They could use these tokens to only buy books. The students presented the tokens to the stall owners and got the books worth the token amount. The stall owners collected the tokens and gave them to the organisers who in turn paid them the amount, he said. Certificates were also awarded to students. The books of more than 30 writers from Dindigul district were released at the book festival, he said, adding various competitions were held as part of the book festival.
Published – September 14, 2025 10:15 pm IST
