Frontlist | Books on protest movements, Ulfa fly off the shelves

Frontlist | Books on protest movements, Ulfa fly off the shelves
on Jan 12, 2021

GUWAHATI: Books depicting Assam’s historical past, particularly on actions and the Ulfa, are most in demand at the ongoing Book Fair right here. Some of the bestsellers or titles most seen in stalls are ‘Life of a Driver’ by Rupam Dutta, Dhirumoni Gogoi’s ‘Nisiddha Yoddha,’ ‘The Untold Stories’, Ulfar Kolonkito Adhyay by Ranju Neog Hazarika and the well-known Assamese novel ‘Sanglat Fenla’ by late journalist Parag Kumar Das. “In earlier editions of the fair, books on fiction and novels were mostly in demand. But this year there has been an increased interest in books on Assam’s history,” mentioned Rimashree Kardong of Barna Publication. ‘Ulfar Kolonkito Adhyay’ takes a peek into the darkish days when Ulfa cadres had unleashed a reign of terror. There are accounts of 41 victims and various articles on terrorism. ‘Nisiddha Yoddha’ talks about the deaths of a whole lot of troopers from the twenty eighth Battalion of Ulfa throughout military operations. Assam has been witnessing a collection of agitations in protest in opposition to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which allegedly violates the historic Assam Accord, signed after six years of anti-foreigner motion. Rimashree feels the books have been bought in protest and this spirit is new to the truthful. Flying off shelves are Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Ailoi Chithi’, Assamese translation of ‘Letter to Mother’ and Hiren Bhattacharya’s ‘Compilation of essays’. Novelist Gitali Bora’s ‘Antaratam’ has additionally been an enormous draw, truthful organizers mentioned. Manas Hazarika of Banalata Publication mentioned the protracted lockdown helped revive studying habits amongst folks. “Shops were closed during the shutdown and book lovers could not buy books. So when the fair opened, they came out with a vengeance. Youths have formed the biggest chunk of buyers and they are ordering in bulk,” mentioned Hazarika. The organisers have been taken unexpectedly as the footfall has crossed 5 lakh and books over Rs 8 crore have been bought. “We were not expecting such a large turnout in times of Covid,” mentioned a writer. Pramod Kalita, secretary normal of the Publication Board Assam mentioned all types of books have been bought at the truthful. New titles, outdated books, all are in demand. About 200 new books have been launched this 12 months at the truthful. “People bought books because they reinvented reading during the days of lockdown and want to continue with the habit,” mentioned Kalita. Altogether 130 publishers and sellers are collaborating in the truthful. Source: TOI