image source, Getty Images
A publisher has set up a shop on the road and sold a book in protest against the book fair administrators who did not give space to set up a shop at the 46th book fair in Chennai.
Book fair and controversies
The ongoing book fair in Chennai was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on 6th January. It has been announced that this exhibition will be held in Chennai till January 22.
More than 300 publishers are selling their books at the Chennai Book Fair. A total of 980 shops have been set up selling books on various topics.
Even before this year’s book fair began, controversies erupted over BAPASI, the publisher’s association that organizes it.
It was alleged that women publishers, transgender and Dalit publishers were denied permission to set up shop at the book fair. After the disenfranchised publishers banded together and issued statements against Papacy, some were granted permission.
Through this, ‘Queer Publishing House’, started by transgenders for the first time, brought its books for sale at the Chennai Book Fair.
However, India’s first transgender engineer, Grace Banu, took to Twitter to say that people from other publishing houses who are members of Papaci are discriminating against queer publishing.
A publisher who set up shop on the road
image source, Facebook/Salt Publications
Naran, the publisher of Salt Publications, who sought permission from the Papacy administration to set up a stall at the Chennai Book Fair, set up a stall outside the book fair and sold books to register his opposition to the Papacy administration, which refused to give permission until the end.
Many writers and readers have registered their objections to Babasi through social media regarding this matter
Talking to BBC Tamil about this issue, Naran from Salt publishing house said, “Babasi organization does not hold book fair democratically. Only the members of Babasi are given priority. When they contacted Babasi in advance for the shop, its administrators refused permission to set up shop at the last minute.”
Executives and influential members of the Papacy are setting up shops in large numbers. But the Papacy administration refuses to give permission to new publications. The reason for that is not properly communicated. Naran also leveled the allegation that the same publishing house was given different names of shops.
The Papacy organization has not inducted new members for the past eight years. When that is the case, it is anti-democratic to give preference to members to set up shop. The Tamil Nadu government has provided a fund of Rs 6 crore for the book fair. Naran said that the Babasi administrators do not publish the account properly.
“Our Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar award winning novels are not given space in book fairs, people are selling recipes they watch on YouTube. It is against this that I am selling books on the road to register my protest against Babasi,” said Naran.
Babasi refused to answer
image source, Getty Images
BBC Tamil spoke to Vairavan, president of Babasi, about Salt Publishing. Responding to the denial of permission to set up a shop, he said, “We could not give space to Salt Publishing House as the shops were pre-allocated to other publications. But its publisher is deliberately lobbying against Papacy.”
When questioned by the Chairman of the Papacy about how the book fair is allotted to the members and non-member publishers of the Papacy and the allegation that there is no admission of new members, RTI replied. Said to know through.
When BBC Tamil told him that the private organization BABASI was not covered by the Freedom of Information Act, he said, “I don’t know about that. BABASI is a subsidiary body of the government.”
A hindrance to literary development
image source, Getty Images
BBC Tamil spoke to some of those who did not get a place at this year’s book fair, while the head of the organization had said that he would personally press charges against Babasi.
Guna from Ponnulakam Publishing House said, “Whereas what is given to members of Papasi is left over, Papasi allocates exhibition shop to non-member publishers. But there is no transparency in this allocation. Shops are allotted only to those who like and are close to them,” he said.
Continuing, “Babasi has reserved 4 stalls at Chennai Book Fair for a popular daily. That publisher has published only 27 books so far and is selling the same book in all four stalls. But even though my publishing house has published 84 books in 10 years, Papasi has refused to allow the shop. Now Friends Publishing House We have put the books on sale through,” Guna said.
“The publishing house that published a book on the corruption of AIADMK ministers during the previous regime was chased away from the exhibition at the last moment by Babasi. Today, Babasi refused me permission to set up shop because I and some other publishing house owners went and questioned this. Until the readers go to Babasi and question this, it is a stumbling block for the development of Tamil literature. The Papacy administration will work,” Guna said.
BBC Tamil on Social Media: