CHENNAI: Bibliophiles visiting the 47th Chennai Book Fair at YMCA Ground, Nandanam, are excited to see Japanese women and men dressed up in their traditional wear selling books.
Curious onlookers wander by, and some of the stall owners strike up a conversation with those running the place.
The Japanese have come all the way from Tokyo to sell their books at the book fair. “This is the first time I am visiting Chennai and I cannot contain my excitement. We’re here in the city to sell the books of Ryuho Okawa, a religious leader in Japan famous for his self-help books,” said Lena Osaki from Japan. “One reason we decided to participate in this book fair is that we’ve heard that Tamilians give importance to education and are interested in reading books.”
Books sold in the stall are all of Okawa’s which are available in both English and Tamil translations. Sellers in the stall are working for Happy Science, an organisation mastered by Okawa. “The people in Chennai are friendly and have shown us so much love,” Lena added.
The women dressed up in traditional Japanese attire are definitely being noticed by the visitors to the fair. “The city has a lot of bibliophiles. That’s an important factor for us to set up the stall here. In Japan, there are no such book fairs, so it’s a different experience for us,” said Satoshi, another Japanese in the stall.
Apart from the books, Origami, pendants and DVDs are also sold in the stalls.
Additionally, the stalls set by the transgender community and prisoners also have gained a lot of attention from the public at the book fair.