NBT to host book fairs in panchayats
First round may be in naxal-hit areas
The National Book Trust (NBT), an autonomous
institution under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, is planning to
host book fairs at the panchayat level to encourage the reading habit in
villages.
The NBT is set to launch an ambitious scheme
called the Panchayat Pustak Mela (Panchayat Book Fair), whose aim would be to
organise regular book fairs in rural areas across the country. A senior
official told The Hindu
that, for starters, the NBT may test the waters with a book fair across the
panchayat bodies in Maoist-affected Chhattisgarh.
Rural connect
The NBT recently brought out eight books in
dialects used in the Bastar region of the state, in Devnagri script. In other
words, it already has a body of literature that is likely to connect with the
rural audience of the region.
“At a time when the State faces a serious
militancy threat, books — especially ones that are close to the people of the
region, and inspirational works on national themes – can help align the
adivasis there with the mainstream,” the official said, when asked about plans
to kick-start the process from Chhattisgarh.
“We will showcase books published by the NBT
in regional languages, in Hindi, and English, at these book fairs,” the
official said. The NBT will look to collaborate with state governments for this
scheme, and also invite Panchayat representatives to these book fairs.
The books on display would showcase the lives
of freedom fighters and “heroes”, as the aim is to instil a sense of pride
among rural youth, the official said. Children's books would also be on display.
The NBT will also request the State governments to provide libraries at the
panchayat level.
The Trust has in recent times been looking to
publish in “small languages” and dialects. Last year, it organised a workshop
on the Kokborok language of Tripura. It has also brought out books on Mahatma
Gandhi and on children’s themes in Maithili, Magahi and Bhojpuri – all spoken
in Bihar – in Devnagri script.
Source | The Hindu | 9 May 2017
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