By Mounesh Vishwakarma
Daijiworld Media Network—Bangalore (RD/CN)
Bangalore, Jan 16: Over 4 lac people and over 8,000 representatives from all over the nation attended the World Sanskrit Book Fair held at National College grounds here, recently.
Altogether Rs 4.50 crore worth of Sanskrit books were sold in 150 book stalls. The event was a milestone in promoting Sanskrit worldwide since over 8,000 representatives from across India and 14 countries of the world, chief ministers of two states, education ministers of six states, religious heads of worship centers from all over and numerous other people participated in the World Sanskrit Book Fair.
Book Sales:
Over 150 book stalls were set up by different states of the country. The stalls generated sales to the tune of Rs 4.50 crore and broke the earlier record of Rs 5 crore generated by 300 stalls in 10 days.
Free Books:
‘Pustak Prasad’ was an innovative concept that was introduced for the first time at the book fair by presenting one book each to over 11,000 people. A separate arrangement was made for the authors and publishers who are financially well-off to set up their stalls at the book fair. It’s significant that Rs 4 lac worth of their books were sold on the occasion.
Visitors:
Over 4 lac people visited the book fair. People were seen queuing-up to buy books and the stalls witnessed brisk business. The stalls faced a shortage of certain titles as they were in great demand. It’s significant that 300 new books were released at the book fair. Several visitors to the stalls were conversing in Sanskrit and Sanskrit students speaking fluently attracted the attention of onlookers.
The convention held as part of the World Sanskrit Book Fair discussed the diverse spectrum of Sanskrit and sought to create people’s awareness through Jnana Ganga Pradarshini, Sanskrit heritage village, and the like. It was an attempt to bring both Sanskrit book lovers and their publishers to the venue. The stalls of Sanskrit, mathematics practiced in Vedic times, Ayurveda, mythological books, manuscripts on palm leaves, and Bhagavadgeeta etc were put up for sale at the book fair. The puppet show based on Mahabharata, and banners highlighting special features of Sanskrit, were displayed in a few stalls and other specialties were also found at the book fair.
Organization:
The book fair was the first in the country organized in association with 14 Sanskrit universities, 7 Sanskrit academies, and16 leading Sanskrit institutes under the aegis of Sanskrit Bharati that had organized Sanskrit conversing camps in 674 places across Bangalore to prepare thousands of activists who worked relentlessly for two months.
Cha Moo Krishnamurti has been instrumental in the success of the World Sanskrit Book Fair. He serves as a secretary of Sanskrit Pratistan, New Delhi.
Addressing media persons at his ancestral house in Badakkila, where he had arrived for family reasons, Krishnamurti said that the recently held World Sanskrit Book Fair has cleared the ill-conceived general notion of Sanskrit that it’s an impractical language restricted to a specific class of people.
“It has focused on a bright future for Sanskrit and is the inspiration to set up a Sanskrit Study Centre under Karnataka University. The influence of English has not affected Sanskrit which is the third fastest growing language in the world,” said Krishnamurti.