CHENNAI: The 49th edition of the Chennai Book Fair, organised by the Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India (BAPASI), will offer free entry to the public. Chief Minister MK Stalin will inaugurate the event on January 8 at 6 pm at the YMCA Grounds, Nandanam, and also present the Muthamizh Arignar Kalaignar M Karunanidhi Porkizhi Awards on behalf of BAPASI.
Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin, Health Minister Ma Subramanian, and School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi will join the CM at the inauguration of the 13-day fair.
To prevent overcrowding at ticket counters and ensure a comfortable experience for visitors, the organisers have also enabled ticket booking through a mobile application. Addressing the media, organisers said the book fair will be open daily from 11 am to 8.30 pm. Readers purchasing books will receive a 10% discount.
“Two special pavilions will be set up by the Department of Posts, one providing information on postal services and another offering Aadhaar and parcel services. TN Power Distribution Corporation Limited will host a stall to disseminate information on solar power and renewable energy,” said BAPASI president RS Shanmugam. “The public can obtain entry tickets either from the 9 physical counters or by booking through the Chennai Book Fair app.”
The fair will feature more than 1,000 stalls, including 428 Tamil stalls, 256 English stalls and 24 general stalls. Around 400 participants representing 240 Tamil publishers, 130 English publishers and 30 general category publishers will take part. Books in Tamil, Telugu, English and several other languages will be on display.
Dedicated stalls have been allotted for Japanese books and education-focused publications. Several Central and State government institutions, including the Sahitya Akademi, National Book Trust, Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation, Thanjavur Tamil University, Department of Archaeology and the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, will participate.
The venue will be under CCTV surveillance with private security. Facilities include free Wi-Fi, mobile charging points, food courts, purified drinking water, lactation rooms, rest areas for senior citizens, wheelchair access, a daily blood donation camp, medical facilities and ambulance services.
“Free mini-bus services are being planned from T Nagar, Saidapet and Nandanam, subject to approval,” said BAPASI vice-president Nakkheeran Gopal.
On January 21 (last day), Justice R Mahadevan will deliver a special address and present awards to those who have completed 25 years in the publishing industry.