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The mecca of books is here!
New Delhi World Book Fair 2014
Welcome to New Delhi World Book Fair 2014, the most awaited book
event which has now become a part of the city culture and an important
calendar event. The theme of the fair is apt – Kathasagara – Children’s
Literature. Here’s a prelude to Asia’s biggest book fair!
L
iterature is a part of the pavilion but in the entire fair.
culture of the country The presentation includes special
we live in and with India exhibit of books, workshops and
discussions as well as specially President of India, Pranab Mukherjee
being a multi-cultural country,
curated panels - A Tale of Tales, inaugurates the Fair today!
the literature has myriad hues.
India is a country of stories, which takes us on a visual publishers. These include readers,
storytellers and storytelling journey showcasing the distinctive authors, book lovers, critics and
traditions. The rich repertoire and rich treasury of children’s public at large. Today, we have
of fables and legends sourced literature in India. much more aggressive players
from its epics and folk traditions While, 'Children’s Books in in the market and a whole lot of
have enriched and entertained India 2014' is an exhibit of select new entrants in this segment, who
generations, not only in India but books in print. This brings to you need to know what’s happening
across the world. Some of India’s a cross-section of children’s books around and NDWBF is the
in English and other languages. platform to be. It has been made
finest writers have written for
Besides, a dedicated area for Entertaining and informative, the into a nine-day event keeping in
children, enriching the genre with
children - Kids Bubble, there are theme programme is a glimpse mind the interest of the Indian
new themes and paving the way
illustrators’ corner, discussions, of the rich, complex and vibrant readers and publishers,” shares
for future writers. Today, young workshops and activities which tradition of Indian children’s A Sethumadhavan, chairman,
and innovative publishers as well
will enliven the pavilion for nine literature. National Book Trust (NBT), India.
as young writers who make the
days. Renowned children’s writers, And this is just the tip of the “Whatever changes we made
Indian children publishing’s scene
illustrators, publishers and critics iceberg, the Book Fair offers in the last New Delhi World Book
exciting are experimenting with
will discuss the current trends much more for all. “It is not just Fair, have been well appreciated
themes and designs, in the process
and challenges facing children’s a book event. We are involving by the industry. The first being the
earning international attention.
books industry in the country. all stakeholders and not just migration from biennial to annual
Books play an important
role in spreading our literature
and it is very important that
our children – the citizens of
tomorrow, are introduced to
this vast treasure of knowledge.
Keeping this in mind, the theme
at the New Delhi World Book Fair
2014 (NDWBF) is Kathasagara
– Children’s Literature, which is
focusing on the rich and diverse
heritage.
The theme of the fair is
reflected not just in the children MA Sikandar, director, NBT, India briefing the press on Feb 13, 2014. Anna Tryc-Bromley, director, Polish Institute talking about their participation.
2
to be appreciated, sold and read, This time, the Rights Table will
despite changes in the delivery be held from February 17-18,
channels. 2014 and there would be more
“In order to reach to a wider than 60 participants, which
event, which has been a major published a children book from audience, NBT has tied up with would include Indian publishers
initiative. India, being a major Poland titled Little Chopin. FM Radio 92.7, which would like Oxford University Press,
publishing power in the world, There are four designated relay the happenings Orient-Blackswan, DC Books,
it makes a lot of sense to have Author’s Corner, for which over at the fair,” shares Vaani Prakashan, Rajpal &
an annual book fair as whatever 100 authors have been roped in. Farida M Naik, Sons, Xact Studio, to name a
the industry is doing, it needs to These areas will bring together joint director (F&A), few and foreign publishers like
be carried forward to keep the some of the new as well as NBT, India and Barnes & Noble, Bookshare,
activities level high,” expressed established writers through the Farida M Naik chief coordinator of Canada Royal, Publish on
Sethumadhavan. days of the fair. Initiated last NDWBF. “Infact, the nature of the Demand Global, etc.
Talking about the guest of year, this activity has been much fair is changing from just a book According to
honour country at the show, appreciated by the visitors as event to a literary event with Pradip Chhabra dy
MA Sikandar, director, NBT, they can interact and listen to flavours of cultural heritage in director (exhibition)
India, informed that Poland is their favourite authors reading the form of cultural performances and incharge
the guest of honour country from their books at these by various artists from across the NDWBF, "We have
this time, which has a rich corners. country," she add. also involved students
literature and also is home to Also, there would be a Another important initiative as volunteers.”
many Nobel laureates in this session on Digital Zone where by NDWBF is the Rights Table. On the sidelines of the NDWBF,
field. “It is a good opportunity digital service providers will It was started last year in a there would be the 'CEOSpeak over
for both India and Poland to talk to publishers about very modest way which brought Chairman's Breakfast', where CEOs
celebrate their relationship over changing needs and trends. together participants from both and heads of publishing houses
the years. There is a delegation Sethumadhavan, however, India and across the world at a will discuss some of the current
from Poland comprising of feels that print is not going special forum of B2B sessions. trends as well as challenges facing
authors, illustrators, publishers, anywhere as the real market Translation rights, co-publishing the industry. “Last year, there were
educationists and a cultural lies in villages and may be book arrangements and business 75 participants but this year we
troupe as well,” he adds. It is reading has come down in urban opportunities are discussed and have 120 participants,” shares
notable that NBT has already settings, but print will continue negotiated during the forum. Sethumadhavan.
Children pavilion during NDWBF 2013. Authors' corner during NDWBF 2013
3
Guest of Honour Country – Poland
T
he Republic of Poland is the “Guest of Honour” country for t r a n s l a t o r / c h il d r e n ’ s
the 16th edition of the New Delhi World Book Fair 2014. literature) and Olga
HE Prof Piotr Kłodkowski, Ambassador of the Republic of Tokarczuk (best-seller
Poland to India, as well as representatives from Poland’s Ministry fiction) are some of the
of Foreign Affairs, Poland’s Ministry of Culture and National writers who will be attending the Fair.
Heritage, Grzegorz Gauden, director of the Polish Book Institute, The highlights will include the launch of the first Hindi translation
and Anna Tryc-Bromley, director of the Polish Institute will be of Michal Rusinek’s children’s book, Little Chopin, produced by
opening the Polish pavilion at the Book Fair together with India’s India’s National Book Trust. New Hindi translations of Ryszard
National Book Trust. Kapuscinski’s Shah of Shahs, Olga Tokarczuk’s Wardrobe, and
Andrzej Stasiuk’s Tales of Galicia, published by Rajkamal Prakashan
will also be introduced at the Book Fair. Workshops will be presented
throughout the week, including works by the acclaimed illustrator,
Malgorzata Gurowska.
A particular highlight of this year’s Book Fair is the exhibition,
Ryszard Kapuscinski: Poet of Reportage, showcasing the works
of the world-renowned Polish reporter (1932 – 2007). A writer,
poet, photographer, ‘thinker’ and translator of cultures, Ryszard
Kapuscinski’s works have been recognized by over fifty national and
international awards. A mentor for many journalists, Kapuscinski
elevated reportage to the status of art through his descriptions
of world events during the second half of the twentieth century.
At present, Kapuscinski’s books have been translated into thirty
Officials of NBT, India; ITPO and Republic of Poland had signed MoU for Guest of
seven languages, including Urdu and Hindi. The Poet of Reportage
Honour country during NDWBF 2013.
exhibition has been produced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
With the aim of creating understanding between cultures the Republic of Poland, the Polish Institute in India and the Polish
through the exchange of literature, Poland is bringing authors from Book Institute.
a diversity of literary genres; Joanna Bator (novelist/journalist/ In addition to Ryszard Kapuscinski: Poet of Reportage,
academic), Jacek Dehnel (fiction/poet/translator), Wojciech there will also be an exhibition of illustrations from children’s
Jagielski (journalist/war correspondent), Michał Rusinek (academic/ books from Poland.
Besides, there will be a series
of book release functions, literary Events to attend!
events, seminars, conferences and Theme Pavilion
discussions. (Kathasagara- Children’s Literature): Hall 7E
NBT is an apex body of the Foreign Pavilion: Hall 7B&C
Government of India, under the Children Books & Educational
Ministry of Human Resource Aids: Hall 7A,D, F, G & 9
Development. The show is co- Hindi Books: Hall 14 & 18
organised by India Trade Promotion General Books: Hall 10 to 12 and 12 A
Organisation (ITPO), the nodal
Science & Technology & e-books: Hall 12A
agency of the Government of India
under the Ministry of Commerce, Social Science & Indian Languages: Hall 14
for promoting the country’s
external trade.
Authors' Corner
Sahitya Manch: Hall 8
The number of book readers is Reflections: Hall 10
increasing and New Delhi World
Conversations: Hall 12
Book Fair has now become an
integral part of the culture of the Lekhak Manch: Hall 18
city, bringing books from across
the world at a centre-stage. Let’s
Cultural Show
Lal Chowk (Near Hall 6)
Glimpse of one of the events during NDWBF 2013 all bask in the world of books!
4
DESAJ: the festival of tribal Seminar on ‘Diversity and
and folk performing arts of Dialogue -Translation among
India begins today Indian languages'
S N
angeet Natak Akademi, the national academy of music, ational Book Trust, India in association with School of
dance and drama in New Delhi and National Book Trust, Translation Studies and Training, IGNOU will organize a
India are organizing ‘DESAJ - the festival of tribal and national seminar on ‘Diversity and Dialogue - Translation among
folk performing arts of India’ from February 15 - 18, 2014 at Indian languages’ at Seminar Hall (first floor), in Hall No 8, Pragati
4:30 pm every day at Lal Chowk Theatre, Pragati Maidan, New Maidan on February 18, 2014. The sessions of the seminar include:
Delhi. The festival will be inaugurated today by Leela Samson, 'Indian Linguistic Scenario and Culture of Translation' at 10:45 am;
chairman, Sangeet Natak Akademi; A Sethumadhavan, chairman, 'Translating Oral Discourses: An Inter-language Dialogue' at 12:15 pm
NBT, India and Padma Shri Sonam Tshering Lepcha, a Sangeet and 'Creating New Worlds: Translating Children’s Literature in Indian
Natak Akademi Tagore Fellow. Languages' at 2:30 pm.
GBO at NDWBF 2014 Sahitya Akademi Awards 2013
announced
T
he German Book Office Stand at New Delhi World Book Fair
2014 will showcase latest book collections from Germany,
A
which will include the latest Graphic novels, Literary Works nnual Sahitya Akademi Awards 2013 were recently announced
– both fiction and non-fiction, Children’s books and much more. covering 22 languages whereas Assamese and Gujarati language
Visitors can also join them at a panel discussion on Translation awards will be declared later. Poetry books are major winners of
on February 17, 2014 the awards followed by essays and novels, etc. The winners include eight
at Hall No. 7, First books of poetry, four of essays, three of novels, two each of short stories
Floor, Pragati Maidan. and travelogues, and one each of autobiography, memoirs and play
GBO maps the journey of 'Indo-German' translations and which have won the Sahitya Akademi Award this year. The awards were
will have scholars and publishers share insights on the recommended by distinguished jury members representing 22 Indian
profitability of publishing translations at this 45 minute languages and approved by the Executive Board of the Sahitya Akademi
panel discussion. Besides, the 'Berlin' collection of books under the chairmanship of Dr Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari, president of
will be unveiled and presented as part of this session. the Sahitya Akademi.
Also, a seminar of e-publishing is planned for February 19. Famous poets who have been honoured with the award for the
year 2013 include: Subodh Sarkar for Dwaipayan Hrader Dhare
(Bengali), Anil Boro for Delphini Onthai Mwdai Arw Gubun Gubun
Khonthai (Bodo), Sitaram Sapolia for Doha Satsai (Dogri), Ambika
Dutt for Aanthyoi Nahi Din Hal (Rajasthani), Radhakant Thakur for
Chaladuravani (Sanskrit), Arjun Charan Hembram for Chanda Bonga
(Santali), Namdev Tarachandani for Mansh-Nagari (Sindhi) and Javed
Akhtar for Lava (Urdu).
The well-known novelists Mridula Garg for Miljul Man (Hindi),
Manmohan for Nirvaan (Punjabi) and RN Joe D’ Cruz for Korkai
(Tamil) are among those honoured with Akademi Awards 2013.
CN Ramachandran for Akyana-Vyakyana (Kannada), Tukaram Rama
Shet for Manmotayam (Konkani), Satish Kalasekar for Vachanaryachi
Rojanishee (Marathi), and Katyayani Vidmahe for Sahityaakashmlo
Sagam (Telugu) have got the award for their books of essays.
Temsula Ao for Laburnum for My Head (English) and Mohi-ud-Din
Reshi for Aina Aatash (Kashmiri) have got the award for their books
of short stories. Makhonmani Mongsaba for Chinglon Amadagi Amada
(Manipuri) and Man Bahadur Pradhan for Manka Lahar Ra Raharharu
(Nepali) have got the award for their travelogues. MN Paloor for his
autobiography Kathayillathavante Katha (Malayalam), Sureshwar Jha
for his memoirs Sangharsh Aa Sehanta (Maithili) and Bijoy Misra for
his play Banaprastha (Odia) have been honoured.
The Award in the form of a casket containing an engraved copper
plaque, a shawl and a cheque of Rs 1,00,000/- will be presented to
the authors of these books at a special function to be held on March
11, 2014 at New Delhi during the Festival of Letters organised by
Sahitya Akademi.
6
CAPEXIL honours book Guided Tour to NDWBF
producing fraternity
G
erman Book Office, New Delhi brings today a group of visitors
to New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF 2014). These visitors
F
or the year 2011-12, CAPEXIL awarded several publishers were in New Delhi to attend the annual ‘GLOBALOCAL: The
for performance. At the award function, Dr EM Sudarsana Forum for Content.’ The visit will be an experiential discovery of the
Natchiappan, hon'ble minister of state for commerce & industry, publishing and allied industry in India.
Govt. of India was the chief guest while Dr Anup K Pujari, IAS, director
Cameo’s solutions in e-publishing
general of foreign trade,
Govt. of India was the guest
of honour.
H
eadquartered in Chennai, Cameo Corporate Services Limited
Repro India Limited,
Brijbasi Art Press Ltd and provides business process outsourcing services which specifically
UBS Publishers’ Distributors include e-publishing services for publishing
Pvt Ltd, Goyal Books houses and others like document management and
Overseas Pvt Ltd, Sterling custody services, payment processing and cheque
Publishers Pvt Ltd, Navneet truncation services for banks, registry & transfer
Publications (India) Ltd, agency services (R&T) for companies listed
Laxmi Publications Pvt Ltd and Multivista Global Limited were on stock exchanges, etc. Serving clients across
honoured in the Books, Publications & Printing Panel category. geographies in India, US, Africa and Australia,
Cameo serves well more than 350 clients, amongst which in the
e-publishing companies comprising Pearson, Oxford University Press,
Sahitya Akademi completes 60 years! Taylor & Francis and Wiley, amongst others.
Cameo has its offices in more than 100 locations in India viz
F
or the last 60 years, Sahitya Akademi promotes Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra, Pondicherry, Maharashtra and
and publishes literary works of various authors of 24 Gujarat and also in US and Uganda. The company Cameo has in-depth
languages. To commemorate this, there will be a yearlong understanding of the requirements of fixed layout ePub conversion
diamond jubilee celebration, which would be a delight for all lovers services and offers customised solutions to their clients. Also, the
of literature. According to Dr K Sreenivasarao, secretary, Sahitya company has expertise in integration of read aloud ePub content
Akademi, New Delhi, “This year, being a special year we are planning in fixed layout ePub format and they convert the content, integrate
to have some special events, which include All India Women’s the read aloud facility and also make sure that the overall quality of
Writers Festival, Young Writers Festival and Theatre Festival. There the eBook that they develop is impressive. In addition, Cameo offers
will be many literary workshops and seminar as well coupled with Enhanced ePub Conversion Services that convert data into latest
stage performances, in the evening.” format of ePub3.
7
Sindh heritage is very rich but not very well-known. We all remember its famous mention in our National
Anthem (Punjab…Sindh…Gujarat…Maratha) but maybe not beyond this. Language is a pivotal part of any
culture, and being a stateless language, the efforts of The Sindhi Academy to save its literary treasure is re-
ally praiseworthy. Sindhu Bhagia Mishra, secretary, The Sindhi Academy, in conversation with Smita Dwivedi
shares her views about the undertaken task of promoting the state's language and culture through literature.
“We are on a mission
to save Sindhu heritage,
world’s earliest civilization”
-says Sindhu Bhagia Mishra, secretary, The Sindhi Academy
T
he Sindhi Academy was is written like Urdu and Academy is approved Besides, elocution contests and
established in the year it has 54 alphabets, by GC. Besides sub- competitions for the schools and
1994 for propagation, which is the highest committees are college students as well as young
promotion and development of number of alphabets constituted which poets and writers are organized.
Sindhi language, literature and in any language. So, it ensure that selection “We have a huge mailing list,
culture as an integral part of is a difficult language of the beneficiaries is and every year, we are adding
composite culture of NCT of to read and write for transparent. thousands new names to it.
Delhi. Ever since its inception, it young upcoming Sindhis. “We promote We also organize summer kids’
has been playing a catalytic role So, we are publishing young writers. Once conference every year and more
in the proliferation of the Sindhi our magazines (Sindhu our literary committee than 1,000 students participate
literary and cultural activities in Jyot and Jhir Miri) in decides on the merit of in it. There our literature is
the sphere of music, folk dances, both Devnagari and the manuscript, we give circulated in a big way,” she
seminars, symposia, short story, Arabic script. And this them full assistance narrates.
poetry, novel, literary criticism, has helped us a lot in reviving our and support…and of course Access to digital media and
drama, etc. “Our goal is to language,” she adds. grants. We publish around 10-20 declining readership amongst
achieve all-round development Another initiative aimed at books every year with a minimum youngsters is a prime concern for
of Sindhi language, literature reviving Sindhi language, they print run of 500 and we have Sindhi literature as well, “There
and culture. During the last few have recently published Sindhi- many books with reprints as well,” was a tremendous decline in the
years, the academy has assumed Hindi-Sindhi Dictionary, “This was she shares. Sindhi readers, we have made
a significant role and status of one of our efforts to make younger Talking about bestsellers, she marathon efforts to save it in
premier organisation in the same Sindhis aware of their language, further adds, “The Sindh Story, every possible method, we tried
field,” Sindhu proudly shares. which is being used by the earliest published in the 1984 is the to generate interest and so it
So, what role does literature of world’s civilization, which is most significant contribution of has revived. For last two years
plays in it? “Books are important really a matter of proud,” she KR Malkani towards the Sindhi Sindhi books are selling again.
part of our mandate. Sindhi script shares. literature. Even today many And we know that to survive
To plan the schemes and Sindhi scholars are drawing we need to go digital. Hence,
activities of the Sindhi Academy, references from this book for e-publishing and e-learning are
the chairperson of the academy their writing. Moreover literally our main projects for coming
(hon'ble chief minister) nominates works of prominent Sindhi days,” she shares.
20 members to its governing scholar-cum-writer Dr Motilal On a concluding note, she
council (GC) for two years, which Jotwani is always in demand.” wants to convey just one message,
include renowned litterateurs, Sindhi Academy also “Love books, there is no bigger
authors, poets, journalists organises seminars, conferences, and closer friend than books. They
and cultural activists. All the workshops, kavi sammelan will guide and entertain you…so
schemes and budget of the and cultural programmes. just depend on books.”
8
Children book publishing:
even brighter days ahead! (PART-1)
Despite the said gloomy status of the publishing industry, children book industry seems to be
growing continuously. Innovative books, new authors, better illustrations and production
quality – the industry is getting better every day. And the habit of reading needs to be cultivated
when the child is young. To promote reading and to showcase its importance, the theme of the
New Delhi World Book Fair 2014 has been aptly kept ‘Children literature.’
T
he children book publishing that the industry is huge and there is no doubt that, India is one percent of the market respectively.
market in India is very huge, the market is growing. “If the of the fastest growing publishing The remaining 30 percent
progressive and growing guesstimate, of having more industry across globe, may it be constitutes trade publishing or
steadfastly. India is reckoned than 20,000 Indian publishers printed books, digital books or other categories. Total value of
among the top seven publishing producing a 1,00,000 books STM’s, etc,” informs Himanshu books produced in India each
nations of the world. “India or more each year in multiple Giri, CEO, Pratham Books. year is roughly about Rs16, 000
ranks third after the US and UK Indian languages and generating a While SK Ghai, managing crore.”
in English language publishing,” revenue of around USD 2.5 billion director, Sterling Publishers, feels While, Radhika Menon of
tells Rajneesh Chowdhry, director, or so (includes academic/non- that the market is approximately Tulika Books adds, “What we
Goodwill Publishing House academic books) is to be believed Rs 750-1,000 crore. Sahil Gupta do know is that the market
proudly. “And it is the 7th largest then the children’s publishers of V&S Publishers adds, “Given penetration of children’s books is
worldwide, when all languages are market is around 30 percent of that half of India’s population very low at three percent. There
counted,” adds Mudit Mohini of this number. Within the children is under the age of 25, it’s no are 300 million children in India
Vishv Books. publishing, the language split wonder a large part of the book and we produce three books for
But, there are no statistics is around 50 percent for Eng/ trade is dominated by academic every 100 children compared
available for the industry. There Hindi alone vs other 28 or more and children’s books, which to the UK which has six for
are guesses and all seem to say languages produced. But for sure account for 40 percent and 30 every child.” So, there’s still a
9 Promoting children literature!
T
he Indian children publishing industry is growing for three
major reasons – parents have become more conscious, a lot of
government schemes like Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan have come up
and a lot of NGOs promoting reading, says Manas Mahapatra, editor,
National Centre for Children’s Literature (NCCL), NBT, India.
Established in 1993 to promote, create, coordinate, monitor and,
aid the publication of children’s literature in Indian languages, NCCL
provides assistance and expertise to teachers, librarians, editors,
writers and illustrators by arranging creative workshops across the
country, especially in rural areas for promoting reading habits among
children.
NCCL runs the Readers’ Club Movement to promote the habit
of reading at school level. It has been instrumental in establishing
35,000 Readers’ Clubs till date. A bilingual monthly magazine
Readers’ Club Bulletin is also published to foster the Movement.
lot of scope in the children book counterparts. Firstly, the
publishing market. emphasis on children reading
“Based on impressions, has been huge internationally.
assumptions and some speculation In India reading is mostly
we can say that the growth is limited to schoolbook reading.
somewhere between 20–30 Internationally books have
percent annually. But in my been written and rewritten.
personal opinion, majority of this They have been researched.
is based on contributions from Their authors and illustrators
the ever growing school books have become seasoned over
consumption at the primary level the years. Indian books have a
and supplementary material for long way to catch up with them.
children, but overall landscape But given the resources some Manas Mahapatra
is perfect for a robust growth publishing houses are producing
Besides, NCCL also organizes workshops, discussions, seminars,
barring the challenges of the excellent books. Cost is another
and exhibitions for children and professionals to explore new avenues
recent economic downturn and factor. We cannot expect Indian
in children’s literature and creative skills in children and participates
reduced purchasing power. So publishers to produce same level
in international book fairs to promote Indian children’s literature
because of increasing awareness, of quality for one-tenth of the
abroad.
globalisation, stress upon price the international publisher
An important component of NCCL is the Library-cum-
education and literacy as also is selling,” shares Mudit.
Documentation Centre with a collection of over 15,000 books on
because of the increase in income, “In terms of authors and
children’s literature covering wide range of subjects in 44 languages
the future of children book illustrators, I would say India
of the world (18 Indian and 26 foreign languages). Besides, it
publishing market seems quite has tremendous talent offering
has a collection of over 600 rare reference books for the help of
bright,” adds Vineet Sharma, MD, quality similar to the west, having
professionals, scholars and researchers.
Parragon Publishing. said that creativity neither can
As an advice to parents, Manas says that parents should treat the
Many a times, we find be compared nor is restricted
child as an individual and he/she should select the book. “Promote
ourselves comparing Indian and by boundaries. All we need is
the habit of reading and set a communication between the book and
foreign books. So, what do our platforms that connect this
the child,” he says.
publishers think about it. “The talent to publishers and facilitate
Indian parent often lament about content creation. As far as
the quality of children’s books production quality is concerned illustrators, superior page usage, need to measure our industry
published by Indian publishers, I think there is a tremendous etc. However, with the growth in against them? “I think we
the poor paper quality, the change and we can achieve the literacy, and disposable income need to get over this mind-set
insipid illustrations, and the same quality as anywhere else in the hands of people, demand of always measuring ourselves
moralistic nature of the content. in the world but certain aspects for books will grow; publishers against foreign counterparts
They compare our books with need to be worked upon such as then can visualize publishing as our trajectory has also been
beautiful picture books from sharpening the input material books with large print-runs; influenced by our history and
France and the US and wonder costs, delivery timelines and the catching up with the publishers we need to develop our own
when the industry will ‘come of QC processes,” adds Vineet as a of advanced nations,” adds standards and idiom that reflect
age’. But often, what they don’t matter of fact. Sahil. our realities,” adds Himanshu.
realise is that our situation, “Moreover, India is not a English language publishing To summarise it, we can say
our stage and our needs as a homogeneous country but a is a big market and therefore that the children book publishing
culture, economy and industry heterogeneous one with people, a very dominant section of industry in India is booming,
are completely different. Contrary to a large extent, preferring publishing. Worldwide also despite all odds. Children books
to popular belief that the reading to buy publications in their English language publishing has and authors/illustrators are now
habit in India is dying, children’s mother tongue. This restricts a long history and tradition and gradually getting the recognition
books in India are thriving an economically viable scale India with its sizeable population they deserve. “The good news is
and growing. The awareness is because of segmentation in the that understands the language that things are changing. There's
growing, the variety is growing Indian market. Publishers are constitutes an important market. much more interest in children's
and Indian parents are seeking guided by the market demand. “However, it doesn't lessen the books now than there used to be,
much more than the ubiquitous Meeting demands from different importance of Hindi and other and we're seeing some wonderful
nursery rhymes and fairy tales language segment imposes a Indian languages. Books written new writing and illustration and
books. With this the publishing huge limitation on size of print- in Hindi, Urdu, Kannada, Tamil, hearing fresh voices,” concludes
Industry is also changing and runs. If the publisher doesn’t Marathi, Punjabi, Bangla, Anushka Ravishankar, well
the publishing houses are striving sell a title in large numbers, Malyalam, and others have their known author and publisher at
hard to offer better quality books the earnings shrink. This puts own importance and are equally Duckbill.
at affordable prices,” tells Vineet. paid to commissioning authors popular. (Read tomorrow’s issue of
“We cannot compare who could drive demand. Same There’s another dimension Show Daily to know what makes a
our industry to international limitation restricts usage of top to this discussion. Do we really good children book.)
10
Rapples creates ripples
in the e-learning market...
Repro India offers Rapples which just not provides e-learning solution, it hand-holds and trains
teachers in the use of technology by providing on-site full-time support for initial three months
for smooth adoption of new technology-enabled Rapples solution. It’s fully supported LMS em-
powers teachers by effective delivery & smarter assessments of all students individually. Rapples
is being launched at New Delhi World Book Fair after three years of development, investments in
the solution and successful trials in some schools.
T
he idea that technology can revolutionise education is not new - in
the 20th century almost every new invention was supposed to have
big implications for schools. With the advent of computers, again
it was said that this is going to change the way education is delivered.
But the core of the system has changed little since the Middle Ages: a
teacher standing in front of rows of students and delivering lessons. This
time it is different. As per Bill Gates, this is a special time in education.
This is largely because a number of big changes are coming at the same
time: high-speed mobile networks, cheap tablet devices, the ability to
process huge amounts of data cheaply and sophisticated online gaming
and adaptive-learning software.
And more or less everything is getting remarkably cheap to provide,
latest, state-of-the-art with very few other comparable solutions
thanks to faster processing, widely available broadband and the
available globally,” tells Pramod Khera, executive director, Repro India,
resources of cloud computing.
the provider for Rapples. Repro is known for its significant backward
“Having said this, tablets are a very recent invention. Their use in
and forward integration which involves managing customer’s content,
education is still at a nascent stage. Rapples is a pioneering effort in
printing and delivering in different formats. This has helped Repro to
this direction. In fact, the solution being provided by Rapples is the
build strong relationships with over 500 publishers in the education
sector. Mumbai based Repro India has state-of-the-art facilities in
Navi Mumbai and Surat.
Rapples unfolded...Over the last three years, Repro has been working
in the digital space to provide the Rapples and ReproCloudstore platforms
to publishers for distributing their content electronically. With this, Repro is
able to offer the complete value chain of services to publishers as described
in the diagram (shown on the right).
Telling more about Rapples, Pramod informed, “Rapples is a
comprehensive School solution provided to schools that enables them to
deploy technology based education in their schools.”
The components of the solution includes converting all the subjects
books into digital books (e-books), delivering all the subjects through
a dedicated Tablet for each student as well as the teachers. Apart
from the e-books, they also offer Server, Wi-Fi connectivity, projectors
in classroom; student-teacher interactivity, etc. “The content is
continuously enhanced by teachers, students and integrated and shared.
We also offer back-end LMS to track student data and provide reports
to teachers and principal,” added Pramod.11
The USPs... So, how
is Rapples different
from the current
digital classroom
solutions available
in t h e m a r k et?
“Fi r s t l y, it is
minimally disruptive – the existing method of teaching and resources distribution of textbooks can be replaced by an electronic delivery of the
used by teachers need not be changed, which means that the existing right enriched content in the hands of the student. “In fact, the tablet can
printed books used by school are used as e-books and existing manual become a powerful e-learning tool that can improve the effectiveness
procedures / methods, assessments used by teachers are integrated of education multi-fold. It is a unique opportunity, especially for the
onto the technology platform. It uses current resources with teachers emerging economies of South Asia, Africa and China to spread education
like lesson plans, videos, presentation, documents, assignments, to the masses in a short period of time. In fact here, the promise is of
projects etc. It can also utilise existing infrastructure available at better teaching for millions of children at lower cost,” told Pramod. “Over
school including servers, white-boards, projectors, etc,” told Pramod. time the solution will become more adaptive and will be able to offer
Besides, Rapples uses teacher-determined content, which means that customized teaching for each student. The vision is that the solution will
the school / teacher decide what content is required. It provides access offer from 'one-size-fits-all' education to a more personalised approach,
to repository of free supplementary learning resources that can be used with technology allowing each child to be taught at a different speed,
by teachers to enhance the eBooks. It also integrates Digitised learning in some cases by adaptive computer programs, in others by 'superstar'
resources available with school / teachers. “It also provides additional lecturers of one sort or another, while the job of classroom teachers moves
paid learning / reference eBooks, learning material, etc. from multiple from orator to coach.”
sources and content can be continuously enhanced by teachers, students What’s next? “Initially, solution will be offered to all school. After six
and integrated and shared. months, Rapples will introduce a solution for higher education that can
Augmenting teacher’s capabilities...The LMS (Learning Management be deployed in colleges and universities. We also have plans to take
System) which is implemented by Rapples helps in Augmenting Rapples international starting with Africa and some Asian countries,”
Teachers’ Capabilities. It allows teachers to organize tasks for the shared Pramod.
academic year; schedules assessments, formative and summative Message to educators/learners...“An e-learning solution that enhances
tests, activities, projects, etc and provides Lesson Plan which helps the teachers’ capability is the one that should be selected because even
teachers to plan their lessons that they need to teach. “The the best technology will get nowhere without the teachers’ support. The
assessment plan includes projects, activities and tests while promise in all this for teachers is less drudgery, since some of their duller
assessment marking helps teachers to track the students’ performance tasks can be automated, and interesting new challenges as they work out
level on each subject. Besides, teacher can evaluate essay questions how to reorganise their classes. If the technology can be used as an extra
once students submit for evaluation. Reports can be generated on the pair of hands in the classroom, teachers will find it possible to do more,”
system as well,” told Pramod. concluded Pramod.
Converting users into ‘fans’... Rapples platform is technology
independent. It runs on all platforms – Android, iOS, Windows and on
all devices. “Today’s generation is very comfortable with technology.
Most of the students are familiar with the use of smart phones and
tablets. Rapples provides them a platform whereby the students are
able to use technology for their education – this excites them and
increases their interest in learning. Wherever we have implemented
this solution, the students have become instant fans of Rapples and
have started viewing learning more as fun rather than a chore…,”
proudly informed Pramod.
Challenges faced...“All school and University boards still upgrade
their texts and equipment on slow, unsynchronised cycles. Education is
a highly regulated public utility in which rules can govern everything,
from what goes into textbooks to what should be the composition of a
classroom. Teachers fear technology is a means for replacing properly
trained humans. Hence, it is important to enable teachers with the
technology for it to be successful,” told Pramod.
Future of e-learning solutions... The tablets offer a unique opportunity
to provide education content to all economically and with enhanced
effectiveness. The cumbersome middle layer of production and12
Choosing the right book for your kid!
Here are a few tips to choose the
perfect book for your child: A good book is a good book!
W
ith the publishing scenario for children’s
l Choose topics your child enjoys. Better let books having changed dramatically over the
children choose their own books, from an last few years, there is a wide and diverse
appropriate selection. This helps build a range of books now available. This wide range makes
lifelong love of reading. selecting books for libraries a daunting task.
l Consider pictures and words. Younger children Further, the Right to Education (RTE) Act
enjoy more illustrations and fewer words. 2009 mandates that every government school in
For preschool-aged children, you can choose every district of every state across the country
slightly more complex texts with good rhythm, has to select and buy books for libraries each year.
word repetition, and stories. The Good Books Guide by National Book Trust, India offers key
l Choose books that reflect your child’s everyday criteria for selecting the best children’s books from among the
activities, such as playing with friends, visiting hundreds on offer, based particularly on the requirements of such
family, and going-to-sleep routines. Not only do a mass scale selection procedure. Librarians and teachers from
these books help you teach valuable lessons, all schools, government and non-government as well as private
but they also help you avoid conflicts with your Mudit Mohini institutions, will find useful guidelines from this draft report/
child. document as to how to identify the ideal one for the target group.
l Be sure that the subject matter is appropriate for your children's age The Good Book Guide will be released by Dr MM Pallam Raju,
and/or maturity level. Are they ready to learn about sibling jealousy, hon’ble minister of HRD, Govt of India on Feb 17 at the theme pavilion.
loss, or grief?
l Choose books to help explain an upcoming experience. If your child l Select a wide variety of books and reading materials, including fiction
is anxious about an event coming up (trip to the zoo, a play date), and nonfiction books, graphic novels and comics, folk and fairy tales,
choosing similar themes in a book will help the child to get excited and jokes and riddle books.
and feel more comfortable with the idea. l Books should make a point without being overly didactic or preachy
l Choose books that reflect your child’s concerns, such as fear l On repeated readings the book should offer fresh revelations or details
of the dark or some classmate. These books help children that may not have been caught the first time through.
realize that their feelings are normal and that they’re not alone. These l And quite simply, not all ‘old’ books are classics! Just because we have
books also help your child learn how to handle their anxiety in a loved them doesn't mean that they are still relevant.
positive way. –Mudit Mohini, Vishv Books13
STUDYeBUDDY- a buddy for the eGeneration
I
n India, a practical approach towards with audio-visual
learning is gaining pace. Educational aids specifically for
institutions want the classrooms to be educational needs. A
highly interactive with insightful project wide range of titles
presentations and demonstration of theories. from various national
Teachers are encouraged to use audio-visual and international
examples to teach concepts. Parents want publishers are made available on a single
their kids to attend institutions that provide platform. For the gadget-friendly generation,
technology-enabled education. Also, studying STUDYeBUDDY provides Buddy Apps for cost tablets in India to address the need for
is not confined to mugging-up class notes or intuitive learning and an enhanced eBook affordable feature-rich handhelds. Publishers
prescribed textbooks today. To be successful reading experience. These easy-to-use apps are also collaborating with eBookstores
in any stream, students need quality online allow online and offline access of eBooks to provide quality eBook content for these
resources which become their stepping stones on various devices. Reading is made more devices. Joining hands with eBookstores
appealing with features such as add notes, gives publishers the benefit of institutional
to success. Traditional libraries have books
highlight important points, bookmarks, search subscription and retail sales. Everyone is
with limited number of copies that will be
keyword, etc. Thus, STUDYeBUDDY paves the working on solutions for the eBook generation.
insufficient for the rising number of students
way for an eBook-ready future. So, let’s start preparing for the next-
each year.
In India, eBooks are getting more generation education system which will be
Additionally, the concept of learning has
and more popular with each passing day. flooded with eBooks.
reached a stage where people just go online
Companies are working on introducing low- Visit STUDYeBUDDY.com at Hall 12, Stall No. 54
and start looking for information on random
websites with the help of search engines.
While seeking information in this manner,
time gets wasted and there is distraction from
pop-up ads and other elements. Also, it is not
necessary that relevant information is still
found at the end of the day. This leads us to the
thought, ‘What if there is a place online where
finding relevant information is quick and easy
without any distraction?’
eBookstore can be a solution. eBookstore
is an online bookstore that is home to a
wide range of eBooks. A good eBookstore
usually offers eBook applications with a
variety of functions. Search function in eBook
applications makes finding specific details even
easier. According to Bowker’s Global e-Book
monitor survey, more than 20 percent Indian
respondents agreed to have purchased an
eBook six months prior to the survey. Bowker’s
research indicated that in 2012, millions of
eBooks were purchased in India and the eBook
market is bound to grow tremendously in
future. Again, finding subject-specific eBooks
for educational needs can be a daunting task.
There needs to be a single platform where
eBooks for various study requirements are
available.
After doing extensive market research,
STUDYeBUDDY realized that an online
platform providing quality eBooks under
one roof can be the answer to the growing
demand of information seekers in the
education domain. STUDYeBUDDY launched
an eBookstore that provides quality eBooks
Forum for publishing professionals!
O
rganised by NBT, India and FICCI,
‘CEOSpeak over Chairman’s Breakfast’
is one-of-its-kind forum of CEOs and
Senior Executives of the publishing industry.
Initiated last year as part of the New Delhi
World Book Fair, this edition of CEOSpeak on
February 16, aims to bring greater interaction
within the publishing community in India,
and to establish a forum of the CEOs to
discuss and share business and book-trade
related issues and concerns. There will be
presentations on Foreign Book Markets,
Emerging Trends in Digital Distributions,
Industry Pulse and Digital Printing, besides
an open house to share ideas to strengthen the
Indian publishing industry.16
Not very long ago, while searching for Indian books for
classes 11 and 12 we found just a few books that could be
considered suitable for the older age group. Now, suddenly,
there is a spate of books for young adults in the market.
Indian authors for children have at last emerged on the
Indian scene, just as writers of adult fiction had done several
years ago. Here, Nilima Sinha, president, AWIC, talks more on
the books available for young adults in India.
Myriad shades of
young adult fiction in India!
E
arlier, the children books about broader social, national and attitude towards life. Boys and
were mainly picture books international subjects. At the same girls mingle freely, go out together,
and read-aloud books for time, he/she clings to the delight, rock and sway to music and have
younger kids and fiction for the innocence and joy of being a child. understanding elders. Their world
eight to twelve years age group. A separate category for the consists of Facebook chats and
There were mystery-adventure, coming-of-age, developmental twitter, dating, parties, shopping,
short story collections and needs of the in-between age group movies and popcorn. Their
fantasy galore for the latter is definitely needed today. It is this problems, even their language,
group. It is a pleasant surprise difficult group, roughly between 13 are different. The issues their
to find that now the missing and 20 years of age, that the Young books deal with are those of any
category of Young Adults, too, is Adult literature is aimed at. At the teenager anywhere in the world.
being catered to, publishers having same time, though, it must not be Some novels are even set abroad,
realized that it was necessary to forgotten that avid readers will read in the US or UK, where the
fill the gap. what they will. Many are bound to characters must face problems
Older readers may remember, bypass their special category status based on their different cultures
as teenagers we were exposed to Nilima Sinha to make a beeline for adult fiction! and Indian backgrounds.
all that adults read. There was long passages became engraved in And if they are ready for it, why Books in the above category
no fine distinction to separate my memory. stop them? include The Confessions of a List
the two categories. Whether it Nowadays, of course, with What they need…The young Maniac by Meenakshi Reddy
was Indian literature, with books adult fiction acquiring much adults’ concerns include larger Madhavan, The Summer of Cool,
by Premchand, Sharatchandra greater depth and complexity, issues such as the environment, by Suchitra Krishnamur ty,
Chattopadhya, Tagore, Ashapurna and containing explicit sexual peace versus conflict, gender, Yesterday by Swapna Dutta, Maya
Devi and others with their focus details and descriptions, there growing sexuality, peer pressure, Running by Anjali Banerjee, Skunk
on social issues, or literature from is definitely a need for books for poverty, social matters and other Girl by Sheba Karim and Summer
the West, such as Little Women, adolescents not mature enough subjects of general interest. Job by Maya Chandreshekhar,
Pride and Prejudice, A Tale of to deal with adult issues. They seek answers for the many to name just a few.
Two Cities and that perennial Defining young adults… The disturbing occurrences like death, Certainly these titles will find
favourite of all teenagers, Gone teenager is a child poised on separation and loss, emotional a good market in bookshops in
With the Wind, they were loved by the threshold, not yet an adult, shocks and hurts, traumas and metropolitan cities. Readers there
both adults and adolescents. As but no longer a kid, either. The disasters, not only in their own are bound to relate to the modern
a fourteen years old, I remember young adult is prepared to deal personal lives but also in the themes and will have pockets big
swooning over Rhett Butler and with serious issues, is curious larger world around them. Books enough to buy the books.
Mr. Darcy, and reading the above about and interested in the other can play an important role by Books in the other category,
two classics so many times that sex and mature enough to read helping adolescents deal with their set in the hinterland as mentioned
earlier, are more rooted to the
concerns by providing inspiration
Indian soil. Non-elite readers
through role models and guiding
from small towns and rural areas,
them through difficult periods in
who constitute India’s majority
their lives through suitable stories
population, will find such novels
and novels.
closer to real life, set as they are
What’s available…? We found in cultures they are familiar with
there were two distinct types and based on characters they can
of reading material available. identify with.
While some books are centered There are some remarkable
on modern, sophisticated, elite books in this category that merit
children from metropolitan cities attention from all young readers.
and public schools, there are others They bring out the flavour, colour
that are set in the hinterland of our and richness of culture of the
vast country. various regions of our diverse and
Books in the first category beautiful country, through exciting
are light, fast moving and easy to novels about local characters. The
read. They deal with the problems issues they deal with are wide
faced by teenagers in cities, where ranging, bringing depth to the
there is a much more liberal novel and motivating the reader to17
pause and think. This is not to say Son’s Funeral and Weed. The Why not make reading material none to guide or motivate him.
that these books are too serious Road to Peace and A Clear available in the markets of the Biographies that inspire, sport
or dull for the modern reader. The Blue Sky are both collections country’s hinterland, where there is and adventure, even folk and
exotic settings and the real life of moving short stories on the complete lack of books? Publishers humour, stories to deal with
issues and characters make them theme of peace and harmony as must make an effort to sell in our social conflict and struggle, will
as exciting for the city reader as opposed to enmity and conflict, smaller towns where there are no surely benefit our young adult
for the other. Many, indeed, can written by different authors. bookshops at all, though people do population.
be categorized as adventure, While, Samarpananand’s have the buying power. Through good marketing or
historical, growing up, school, Tiya , based on the journey of Authors too must write books, through libraries we do need to
sport, or stories of courage in a parrot, succeeds in subtly in Indian languages as well as in reach out to the Young Adult
the face of adversity. They are conveying spiritual messages English, relevant to readers from in small town and rural India.
well written, gripping and catch bound to guide the adolescent smaller towns, with characters That is, if entire generations of
the readers’ attention. They will through the adult world he they can identify with and about our youth are not to be lost to
definitely be enjoyed by every type is about to enter. Manorama issues related to their own darkness and ignorance, deprived
of reader. Jafa’s I am Sona provides problems. There are countless of the joy of reading.
Deepak Dalal’s set of thrilling information on HIV and burning issues to disturb the (With permission from the The
adventure stories based on exotic teenager sexuality, a subject adolescent in socially backward, Book Review Literary Trust, New
locations such as the Andamans, authors may shy away from. non progressive families, and Delhi.)
the lush Sahyadris, the Himalayas School and detective stories
and Ladakh are good examples of find their place in YA literature.
such books. The Snow Leopard They include the Juneli Series
“SHOW DAILY” – official newsletter during New Delhi
Adventure is just one of a series by Swapna Dutta and the Foxy
of his adventure novels. Surekha Four Series by Subhadra Sen World Book Fair 2014 – February 15-23, 2014, is jointly
Panandiker’s Bridge at Borim Gupta. The important issue of published by Director, National Book Trust (NBT), India
is another title in the adventure environment is the subject of Ira & All About Book Publishing (AABP) and printed at
genre. The Grasshopper’s Run Saxena’s The Curse of Grass, Kaveri Print Process Pvt. Ltd., 114, Patparganj Industrial
is a serious novel dealing with where a girl from the Bishnoi Area, Delhi – 110 092.
the theme of revenge. Another community helps save the trees
Editorial Team: NBT – Binny Kurian, Kanchan Wanchoo
outstanding book is Faces in near her village.
the Water by Ranjit Lal. Nita To conclude, almost every Sharma; Production –R Shahjahan.
Berry’s beautiful, colorful book, genre is represented in Young AABP – Varsha Verma, Smita Dwivedi, Jyaneswar Laishram,
Delhi – City of Rainbow Dreams, Adults’ literature by Indian Shailendra Kumar, Sunita Arora, H Pandey, Sandeep Verma.
is an exciting journey through authors. Besides the titles
mentioned above there may be
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the signed articles do not
time, encompassing events,
personalities and places. It is others not taken note of for which necessarily reflect the official views of the NBT and AABP.
another title to embellish the non- I would like to apologize.
fiction category. It is certainly heartening to
Fantasy has also been included note that publishers have come
in the YA category, with books forward to fill this vital gap.
like Samit Basu’s Terror on the However, it was felt that authors
Titanic - A Morning Star Agency and publishers are still groping
Adventure and Payal Dhar’s to find the right mixture that
Shadow in Eternity. Anil Menon’s will click with Indian readers.
The Beast with a Billion Feet is There is so much disparity in our
science- fiction. country between reading levels,
Now or Never by Ramendra education, class, taste, regions and
Kumar represents the sports cultures that many more titles are
category. Historical works are required to fulfill the needs of the
represented by Deepa Agarwal’s vast readership.
book on the Rani of Jhansi, It must be noted that there
Subhadra Sengupta’s on Jodha are plenty of books available
Bai and Devika Rangachari’s on for the elite child who may
Harsh Vardhana. A collection of not really depend on Indian
stories set in different periods literature, for markets in big
of our struggle for freedom, cities are flooded with books
entitled Together We Marched from the West. This category of
is another book in the genre reader is totally addicted to such
of historical fiction, written by books and will not be weaned
Nilima Sinha, Ira Saxena and away from his favorite series. He
Surekha Panandiker. Search for is not going to give up his Percy
the Sacred Gem by Nilima Sinha Jackson, Princess’s Diaries,
is a mystery- adventure- fantasy Harry Potter and other popular
set in 18th century India. titles just because Indian
Several novels are based authors have also emerged in
specially on the problems of the the field.
girl child, like Deepa Agarwal’s The obvious felt need is for
Not Just Girls and Favorite more books addressed to readers
Stories for Girls with stories from belonging to what may be termed
different authors, published by ‘real’ India. There are countless
Puffin. Rupa Gulab’s Chip of the small towns and villages where
Old Blockhead is another title English is being taught. Thousands
which girls may like. of young adults are totally
Real life problems are dealt deprived of any kind of reading
with sensitively by Paro Anand material, whether in English or in
in her two books No Guns at my Indian languages.You can also read
