Urdu Book Expo Draws Less Footfalls Due to its Placement in BKC

Explore the rich diversity of literature at the 26th National Urdu Book Fair in Mumbai. Poetry, philosophy, and more await at BKC's literary event.

on Jan 10, 2024

Urdu Book Expo Draws Less Footfalls Due to its Placement in BKC | Frontlist

The 26th National Urdu Book Fair in Mumbai features a diverse selection of books, including poetry, literature, philosophy, cooking, and religious materials. However, the fair has received a lacklustre reception due to its remote location and lack of public transportation. Stall owners are hoping for a higher turnout in the final days of the fair.
The 26th National Urdu Book Fair, held from January 6 to 14 at the MMRDA grounds in BKC, has something for everyone: among the 300,000 books at the 185 stalls are poetry, literature, philosophy, cookery, and children's books, as well as educational materials and a good amount of Islamic religious fare.

The spread includes oddities such as an Urdu copy of the popular book 'Rich Dad, Poor Dad', a translation of the Jewish holy book Talmud, books on English grammar, tote bags, and posters covered with renowned poets' ghazals.

"I've come all the way from Andheri at the insistence of my daughter who is in the first grade," Rais Ahmed, the mother, said. "So far, she has bought a joke book, a story book, a cursive writing book, drawing books and some stationery." His kid was parading about the fair in her uniform, grabbing his attention and pointing to her teachers. "She hasn't let me look at any books yet," Ahmed said, chuckling.Another parent, Arisha Aftab, had chosen books for her children as well as those that suited her own interests in literature and religion. "All my four children go to English-medium schools, but we love the Urdu language so their grandfather teaches them," she went on to say. "There are so many wonderful books here, it's unfortunate I won't be able to buy all the ones I want."
Despite the fans, the response to the fair has been mostly negative—despite the stall-owners' claims that Maharashtra and Mumbai have a sizable Urdu-reading community. Most felt that the location was the cause of the bad show.

"The venue is quite far from the station, and rickshaws occasionally drop people far from the spot," said Qasim Ali Shah, who runs a kiosk with both religious and motivational books. "It is also a business district. In addition, there has been little advertising for the event. Mumbai has more Urdu readers than Lucknow, where I am from. If the fair had been staged near a station, Byculla, or Mumbra, it would have been filled." Ishtizaque Sayyed, a Mumbai-based Urdu writer, editor, and publisher, said, "I attended a book expo in Malegaon in 2020 and one in Mumbra in 2018. There was one held in Aurangabad last month. "Flocks of people had arrived."

The previous National Urdu Book Fair took place in Mumbai in 2012. This iteration, like the previous one, was organised by the National Council for the Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL) and Anjuman E Islam, a nonprofit organisation that operates 97 educational institutions.

"BKC is inaccessible for many people, so we're meeting with BMC representatives tomorrow to request BEST buses at Bandra East and Kurla West stations," said Dr. Zahir Kazi, a radiologist and Anjuman president. "But we still managed to get a footfall of 20,000 on the first day."

The fair includes events planned for all days, including a tribute to Bollywood, to which Dr Kazi believes Mumbai owes its Urdu culture; ghazal recitations; a performance in commemoration of renowned lyricist and poet Sahir Ludhianvi; a scientific demonstration by schoolchildren; and mushairas.

Students from schools and colleges compensated for the lower footfall. "Around ten school groups turned up each on Saturday and Monday," Sayyed went on to say. He noted that Mumbai's 750 Urdu-medium schools had assured that Urdu readers prospered. But, like Rais, who teaches maths and Urdu in an Urdu-medium BMC school in Irla, he believes the Urdu-reading culture is limited to academics.

"Children are being turned away from literature because their parents believe it will not earn them money. But literature takes one closer to life," he explained.

When asked about the remaining days of the fair, which was slated to last until Sunday, the stall proprietors had one thing to say in Urdu: they had "umeed" (hope) that many more buyers will come.