Self-publishing, in an instant
How visitors to a Kerala book fair walked out with their writing in a publication
‘Publish yourself’ recently assumed a
different meaning, when visitors to a street book fair in Thiruvananthapuram
turned contributors, their impromptu writings were turned into books as the
event concluded.
Ninety-year-old Balakrishna Kurup never
expected his jottings to become part of the book, which opened with a print run
of 1,000 copies.
He found himself in the company of 80 others,
most of them casual visitors, including school students and amateur writers.
The group got published in Theruvu
(‘Street’) which was conceived, written, designed, published and released on
Manaveeyam Street, the cultural corridor of Kerala’s capital and a regular
venue for folk art and street plays.
The entire publication happened over the
course of four days, during the Street Book Fair organised by the city
Corporation.
At one end, after all the book stalls, was a
small stall with just a book and a pen on a table, and a laptop on another. Visitors
were invited to write down their contributions — stories, poems, drawings or
articles. The idea was to create a book from the street. The only condition was
that the work should be spontaneous.
Behind the whole idea was Manaveeyam
Theruvora Koottam (Manaveeyam Street Collective), which organises weekly
cultural events.
“The book draws much from the character of
Manaveeyam Street, where anyone can come and perform, without being judged. So,
we thought the book should also be open to anyone. We have included most of the
contributions that we got from the street. No particular subject was given to
the visitors. But, there is a running thread of the street spirit that you can
see in most of the works,” says T.D. Kuriyachan, who came up with the idea.
Lament, sarcasm
The book, therefore, carries everything from
a lament for the saplings on the road suffering from climate change to an art
sketch of the thoroughfare. There are personal reflections, of love, loss and
pain. There is even a short sarcastic poem on literary circles turning into
‘mutual admiration clubs.’
As the visitors penned their thoughts,
standing on the street, youth quickly worked on the layouts and designs for
each page. The editing work was also taken up. The cover image by artist Sajitha
Sankar is also street-inspired.
Source | The Hindu | 27 February 2017
Regards
Pralhad
Jadhav
Senior
Manager @ Library
Khaitan & Co
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