New Delhi World Book Fair 2023

New Delhi World Book Fair 2023
The 31st edition of New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF), being held for the past 50 years, is a major calendar event in the publishing world. NDWBF 2023 is scheduled to be held from 25 February to 5 March 2023 in newly constructed Halls 2-5 GF at the centrally located Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. The Fair is organized by National Book Trust, India, an autonomous organization of the Government of India under the Ministry of Education in collaboration with India Trade Promotion Organization.

Today, Indian publishing stands poised at signifi cant crossroads towards the path of growth. NDWBF offers the exhibitors a unique opportunity for business with this growing book industry. It is also an ideal venue for promoting titles, co-publication arrangements and trade. Besides the many literary and publishing conferences and programmes that are organized during the Fair, it opens up a gateway to the publishing and intellectual world of South Asia. The Fair attracts participation from major publishing houses across the globe. In 2021, the Fair was organized virtually and the platform had more than 2.8 million hits, visitors from 70 countries across the world, 150 Indian Exhibitors and about 15 Foreign Exhibitors.

Publishing House and Adivasi/Indigenous Literature
It is a well-known fact that even after 75 years of independence, there is no policy and proper arrangement for publication of Adivasi/Indigenous literature written in Adivasi/Indigenous and other regional languages including Hindi-English, at both government and non-government levels. Even the central and state level literary academies have remained indifferent in this direction so far. It is known from the publication lists of big publishing houses of India like Rajkamal, Vani, Prabhat, Penguin etc. that their interest in printing Adivasi/Indigenous literature is negligible. In this matter, the attitude of publishers in Hindi and English and Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Rajasthani, Gujarati etc. is the same.

World Book Fair and Adivasi/Indigenous Publications
Till date, during the last 50 years, no initiative has been taken by the government, nor by voluntary civil organizations, for the participation of Adivasi/Indigenous writers and publications in this fair. Even on the occasion of Amrit Mahotsav of Independence, this attitude being taken towards the publication, promotion and dissemination of literature of the first inhabitants of India is gross disregard of the literary wealth and knowledge tradition of the country’s 20 crore tribals.

Need for participation of Adivasi/Indigenous literature and publishing houses in the World Book Fair
We the Adivasi/Indigenous people of India are in constant struggle for the protection of our ancestral social, cultural and linguistic rights, protection of water, forest land and restoration of constitutional rights. The expression of this historical struggle has been happening equally in both our oral tradition and written literature. That’s why it is necessary that the participation of Adivasi/Indigenous literature, publishing houses and writers should be ensured in the New Delhi World Book Fair to be organized in 2023. For this, a book stall is being set up by Pyara Kerketta Foundation, a professional publishing house based in Ranchi, Jharkhand, to take the Adivasi/Indigenous literature published in Hindi, English and regional languages including various Adivasi/Indigenous languages of India to the global reader. So that Adivasi/Indigenous writers, their works and publications also get an opportunity to participate in the World Book Fair and tribal literature being published through community, social and individual efforts in various Adivasi/Indigenous languages of the country including Jharkhand and people of the country and the world from writers and publishers.

Invitation
We are inviting your/your organization’s participation in the World Book Fair so that the all-India form of Adivasi/Indigenous literature is presented and the readers can interview its diverse rich storytelling.

Adivasi Indigenous Book Akhra Stall
If you are an Adivasi author, publishing house or newspaper or journal editor, you can send your or your institution’s published books to us for sale and display at the fair. We will provide adequate space and bookshelves at our book stall – Adivasi Indigenous Book Akhra – at the Mela for display and sale of your books and publications. This service will be given absolutely free of cost to you and your publishing house for the promotion and dissemination of Indian Adivasi/Indigenous literature.

Book Launch, Writers Talk and National Symposium
We will organize two main programs in the seminar hall of the World Book Fair. While the third event will be held outside the fair premises.

  1. Book Launch and Writers Talk
    In this program, the book you publish and its author will be given as much time as possible. The condition will be that the book should be brand new and neither it is already available for sale nor it has been publicly released.
  2. National Symposium on the topic ‘Struggle of Adivasidom , tribal literature and publications’
    You will be invited as a special speaker as a publisher, writer and editor in the National Symposium organized on the subject of ‘Struggle of Adivasidom , tribal literature and publications’ in the fair. It will be our endeavor that leading Adivasi/Indigenous writers, editors and publishers from all directions of India can participate in this National Symposium.
  3. Establishment of National Network of Adivasi/Indigenous Publishers
    A meet of Adivasi/Indigenous writers, editors and publishers is proposed to be organized in Delhi during the fair with the objective of mutual coordination, collaboration and networking. We are also inviting your participation in this meeting.

Keep in mind:

  • If you want to participate in these three programs or any one, please send your written consent to us by January 15, 2023. After this stipulated date, it will not be possible to consider your participation.
  • The proposed date of organizing program number 1 and 2 will be March 1 and 2 and the time will be from 4 to 5.30 pm.
  • Program No. 3 will be organized on the evening of February 28 at a convenient place in Delhi outside the Mela premises.

Facilities –

  1. Free community arrangements will be made to stay and eat during the fair.
  2. We will bear the 3 AC rail fare for special invitee publishers, writers and editors.
  3. The participants will have to bear their own travel expenses from the designated place of residence to the Mela (Pragati Maidan) in Delhi. We will arrange transportation for invited guests only.

Terms and Conditions –

  1. If you are an author-publisher, we will provide bookshelf for your published books at our stall.
  2. If you are a author and your book has been published by any big or small publishing house and that publishing house itself is setting up a stall in the fair, then we will not be able to include you.
  3. You will have to send your books for the fair by 20 February 2023 by parcel or courier to this address in Delhi-
    • Manjeet Meena
      24/5, 4th Floor, Near Bunk House PG,
      Indira Vikas Colony, Mukherjee Nagar, New Delhi 110009
      Mobile: +91 9999722765
  4. If you are coming to the fair yourself, you can bring books till 25 February 2023.
  5. You will have to bear the cost of packaging, parcel or courier for delivering the books to Delhi and back.
  6. Old and damaged books or periodicals will not be accepted.
  7. It is mandatory to give 10 percent discount on the fixed price of books. You can give more discount if you want.
  8. It is mandatory to give minimum 30 percent amount on the total sale of books to the organizing institute.
  9. The authors, editors and publishing institutions will be solely responsible for accidental damages during transportation and the fair. Pyara Kerketta Foundation will not be held responsible for this under any circumstances.

If you have any question or suggestion in this regard, it will be most welcome.
Whatsapp & Mobile: 9262975571 | Email: pkfbooks@jharkhandiakhra.in
Facebook: @AdivasiLiterature | Youtube: @JharkhandiBhashaAkhra | Twitter: @JharkhandiAkhra
Official website: kharia.org | Publication website: jharkhandiakhra.in

Come and change the history of Afro-Asia largest World Book Fair
with resonance of Adivasi literature @75 years of Independence
.

Happy New Year and looking forward with solidarity,

Vandna Tete
Organizer, Adivasi Indigenous Book Akhra Stall
Chief executive, Pyara Kerketta Foundation
Ranchi (Jharkhand)