Colombo International Book Fair opens

• Houses 400 stalls, 40 international publishers to a expected million people

By Cheranka Mendis

For Sri Lanka there is no better time to read than now. With Colombo International Book Fair (CIBF) opening its doors yesterday for a nine day journey, it is the time of the year to battle your way through the masses gathered at the BMICH premises to hunt for the books you love at discounted rates.

Known as the biggest book fair in Asia, CIBF is in its 14th year running. Coming a long way from the 28 stalls that made up the first ever book fair held at the National Art Gallery, CIBF this year boasts of 400 stalls, of which 40 are from international publishers. The fair hosts stalls from publishes from India, Singapore, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, UK, USA and Australia among others.

Speaking to Daily FT, BMICH Director Bandula Ekanayake, co-organiser of the event noted that the event has grown in leaps and bounds over the years and that the premises cannot cater to the demand for stalls at the book fair. “We had to maintain the 400 stall rate as we want the fair to be of high standards and do not want to compromise on quality and value.” Expecting over a million people to visit the stall, he noted that CIBF will see several book launches this year as well.

A special Author Meet has also been organised this year, where some 60 authors from all three languages will hold various talks, discussions and interact with the public at a special stall ‘Guru Gedara’ located at the entrance of the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Exhibition Centre.

Ekanayake also acknowledged that Rs. 10 from the entrance fee charged at CIBF goes to a special ‘Daru Diriya’ fund which offers scholarships to underprivileged children. This year, five students were awarded scholarships at the opening ceremony. “There were only a few requests for scholarships this year. We can go up to 10 with the monies collected.” BMICH has also partnered with Edex in their Library Project this year where participants are welcomed to donate new or used books to be distributed among schools in marginalised rural communities.

Other funds supported by CIBF are School Library Development Fund and School Building Fund.

Most stall holders having participated at CIBF ever since its inception noted that the event has gathered steady momentum over the years catering to a wide reach on various subjects.  

International publisher interest

Vijitha Yapa Book Shop Owner Vijitha Yapa acknowledging the growth of the fair told the Daily FT yesterday that the book shop has this year acquired 24 stalls to showcase their books at the premises. “These are books published by us as well as those managed by Vijitha Yapa,” he said. Publishers such as Harper Collins, Periplus Singapore, Little Brown UK, Apa Insight Guides/Berlitz Singapore, Scholastic Inc and IR Express has shown interest in exhibiting some of their books at the fair. “We are very happy to be participating at this fair for yet another year. However it is rather unfortunate that we could not get two Saturday’s to hold the event as usual due to the Parliamentary Conference.”

Yapa noted that they could not accommodate all books on demand due to limited space. “We could accommodate another 50% more given the space. The demand has been growing steadily.” A total of 15 books will be launched at the fair, he said. Two books from SAARC Cultural Centre- SAARC Book of Short Stories and SAARC Book of Poems will be available at their stall along with A Complete Illustrated History of Sri Lanka by Anton Sebastian, a massive 4200g book on the country.  

Books not out of fashion

Commenting on the steady increase of book lovers visiting the fair, Yapa assured that ebooks are yet to threaten paperbacks in Sri Lanka. Noting that kindle, ebooks and such devices are not as extensive here as it is in the west, he stated that the reason was the high downloading cost as compared to the west.

“Also, a book is something you can take to bed with and fall asleep with without any safety concerns unlike electronic equipments. A book can always be lent to someone and I think a book case is something that is treasured in most homes.”

However with the advancement of technology, publishers will have to put in more effort to promote books in the future. “When the television was first introduced people said that was the end of newspapers. However there was more effort from newspapers and there was an adaptation taking place. The same could be expected from books.”

Regional awareness

Also hosting a stall was the World Health Organization. A representative assured that while the Organization has been participating at CIBF since its inception the main aim is to create awareness. “This is the only time we come to the public.”

All publications have been published in Geneva and this is the only time regional health staff and professionals gets an opportunity to purchase copies.

Sinhala books shows steady growth

Owner of Dayawansa Jayakody and Co., Dayawansa Jayakody who has been carrying on the business for the past 50 years stated that the readership for Sinhala books is growing at a sound pace. Having published the first Sinhala children’s paper in 1961, he noted that people have started appreciating the local literature more now.

“Sinhala novels, Buddhist books and translations are much sought after now. People buy books. There has been no decrease in the readership over the years.”

He also stated that the customer base visiting his stall at the CIBF is special. “I have not seen them at my bookshops. These people are special and they buy the books they love after careful consideration.”

ebook store among the new stall holders

Among all the tangible books shelved according to various subjects, Sri Lanka’s first ever ebook store also makes an appearance at BMICH. Having launched the store in March this year, Etisalat VAS Specialist Rajith Thiyambarawatta noted that the response has been good so far.

“We (Etisalat) have tied up with mobile service providers Microimage and publisher M.D. Gunasena to provide a collection of books at a 25% discount. Through this people can now download and read books on a PC, laptop or on your mobile phone at a lower rate than purchasing a book itself.” Currently there are 150 books offered through the ebook store. “We hope to increase the number of books on a weekly basis,” he said.

Pix by Lasantha Kumara