Patna Book Fair 1990
Patna Book Fair 1990 was held from Tuesday, 20 November to Monday 3 December. The fair was inaugurated on 20th November by Justice S. Sarwar Ali, the then Lokayukta of Bihar, and was attended by several dignitaries, including the Governor of Bihar, Mohammed Yunus Saleem.
The fair was a grand success, with over ttree lac visitors attending the event. The fair festured several literary and cultural programmes, including book launches, author talks and cultural performances, including book launches, author talks and cultural performances.
The fair was organised by the Bihar Rajya Pustak Vyvasayi Sangh with the objective of promoting reading habits and making literature accessible to the masses. The fair also aimed to provide a platform for authors, publishers and booksellers to interact and showcase their work.
EDITORIAL: TRANSLATED (English) HINDI COMMENTS ABOUT PATNA BOOK FAIR 1990
By
SAPTAHIK HINDUSTAN, BOMBAY – WEEKLY MAGAZINE
‘A Day at Patna Book 📚 Fair’
“…. As I enter, the grandeur of Patna Book Fair catches my attention. The lines of books seem endless, like a sea of knowledge. The crowd is massive, with people from all walks of life. It’s amazing to see how much the people of Bihar value books and reading. Some stalls are so crowded that it’s like being in a packed bus.
The book 📚 fair was organised at a time when Patna was reeling under the impact of violence and communal tension. It was a huge risk, but the Organisers pulled it off with great success. The fair brought people together, and they came out of their homes to visit it without fear.
A book exhibition not only helps generate reading habits, it ultimately contributes to the socio-economic reforms. Reading habits provide new knowledge, skills and ideas and at the same time it promote effective way of thinking, create social awareness and inculcate moral values which are essential in the process of development of mankind. With the emergence of information technology and Internet, conventional publisher faced a major challenge. Dick Brass, VP, technology development, Microsoft said that by 2020 (now 2026), half of everything we read will be in electronic form. We cannot disagree more with this statement. The thump of the newspaper on the doorstep in the morning, the lazy turning over the pages, solving crossword while enjoying a cup of tea/coffee- would we give up all these to sit before computer earnestly scanning the news neatly parcelled and labelled for us.
The 1990 Patna Book Fair was a significant event in the history of Bihar, as it brought together people from different walks of life and promoted a love for reading and literature. The fair also provided a platform for authors and publishers to showcase their work and interact with readers.
As for books, can the pleasure of reading anywhere, anytime be compared to sitting zombie-like before a screen ? The pleasure of possessing, of scribbling little comments, of reading other than scrawls cannot be replaced. Sure we can get a print out of a book from the computer. But can that equal the excitement of going into a bookshop, browsing through the shelves and finally choosing a book ? Each book carries a load of memories; the lower reading and books can understand these things and there are enough of us to ensure their survival. Readers and lovers of literature, those who find in creative writing and not just entertainment, but an understanding of themselves and their lives, will still look for these between the covers of a book. The ephemeral words on a screen cannot contain them. All these would mean that we have to find various ways for promoting books and book exhibition is one of the most important medium. A book 📚 exhibition provides people an opportunity to seek new horizons of knowledge and generates reading habits. For the overall growth of an individual’s brain it is essential that one get the opportunity of reading books of general interest over and above the conventional “course” books.
Patna Book Fair 1990 was by no means a mean achievement. This event was conducted and concluded on a grand scale. Its success is doubly impressive considering the fact that it’s coincided with upheavals in the entire country on a massive scale, diesel crisis, communal disturbances etc. The Organising Committee of Patna Book Fair is, perhaps, the only body which ventured to hold the event despite all odds in 1990 to celebrate International Literacy Year– a global event that had scant impact on the country at the time the educational festival was held. The participants who suffered due to the uncertainty then prevailing also came as a landmark in the history of national educational festivals as the Patna’s event established a record in their numbers which again is all the more impressive in view of the impediments that law and order problems across the country had put in our path.
Following the resounding success in 1990, Patna Book Fair 1991 was announced at the closing ceremony of the event on December 2, 1990. Since then, event has traversed a long way. It may be noted that on account of Rajiv Gandhi’s keenness in the festival, it was unanimously decided by the Organising Committee to approach him again for his consent to Inaugurate 1991 event. Accordingly after prior appointment the founder NK Jha of Patna Book Fair was reached Delhi on Tuesday, 15th January 1991 to meet him. It was the coldest evening of January 1991 but, inspite of general election of the year he warmly welcomed the founder at 5.15pm without giving a second thought to Inaugurate the fourth Patna Book Fair 1991 on Saturday, November 30, slated from Sunday, December 1 to Sunday December 15, 1991. He re-confirmed his consent on Sunday 5th May 1991, at 6.00pm when Mr NK Jha met and asked him again, while Sri Rajiv Gandhi was in Patna on the day (5th May) for a brief stop-over to address a rally at Gandhi Maidan in connection with the general election of the same year. But, unfortunately again that was not to be, this time due to calamitous, sad, tragic and untimely demise of this noble soul of our country. Thus, the credit of associating the premier of the nation to a book-exhibtion goes only to Bihar Rajya Pustak Vyvasayi Sangh on account of Patna Book Fair.
It is indeed an irony that the movement was launched by Sri Rajiv Gandhi and none else in 1988 couldn’t be graced with his physical presence inspite of his best intention on three (1988-1990-1991 PBF) occasions. Just when the whole country seemed to be in the grip of a severe literary recession, Patna surprised the whole world 🌎 by hosting an educational festival during the gap year of 1991 on great public demand and since 1991 had been declared the International Women’s Year.
The founder (Mr NK Jha) also represented Bihar as a ‘Delegate’ at the 24th Congress of International Publishers Association (IPA), Geneva in Delhi for the first time in 1992 after 96 years from Monday 27th to Friday 31st January. IPA was established in Paris in 1896 and represents the publishing industry worldwide through 78 national, regional and specialised publishers association in 65 countries including India.
Patna Book Fair 1990 was held from Tuesday, 20th November to Monday, 3rd December. It was inaugurated by the then Lokayukta Sri S. Sarwar Ali, Ex-Acting Chief Justice of Patna High Court who was the Chief Guest at the inaugural ceremony while Mohammed Yunus Saleem, the then Governor of Bihar was the Chief Guest at the closing ceremony held on Sunday, the 2nd December, 1990, that is, one day before it concluded on Monday, 3rd December for general public. Md Saleem stressed the need to organise book fair every year to help and develop academic atmosphere in Bihar, an educationally backward province. He was addressing the valedictory function of the event which was to conclude next day. He also said that although the school 🏫 and college libraries did not purchase books from the event, it was a great success in making the people look conscious. He distributed prizes to artists Dr Shanti Jain and Sri Sitaram Singh (blind artist) for excellence in cultural programmes. Dr Jagannath Mishra, Ex-Chief Minister of Bihar was the chairman of the event. Presiding over the closing ceremony Dr Jagannath Mishra said that educationally the event was was a great success. The event got much publicity and enabled the people to come in contact with the books. He suggested the Organisers to organise it in Patna on international scale. The organising committee instituted the Phanishwar Nath Renu Award in the field of literature, the Ramchatur Mallick in the field of art and culture, the Bhikhari Thakur Award in the field of theatre and the Ramlochan Sharan Award in the field of publication. The 1990 Patna Book Fair was finally concluded on Monday, 3rd December on a happy note. The fair was a historical event that gave a new direction to the people of Bihar in the field of knowledge and culture.
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