Campus bazaar a hit with students
Had it not been for a book, India would probably have still been a colony. Reminding bookworms about the effect Ruskin John’s Unto This Last had on Gandhiji and how it motivated him to return to India and start the freedom movement, Prof Dinesh Singh, vice chancellor of DU, declared open the Delhi Weekend Book Bazaar at Sri Venkateswara College.
With an eye at taking books to students, the NBT has taken the book bazaar to the campus, and students from colleges of the South Campus reciprocated by making the best of the bazaar being held within the premises. “It is imperative to take books to the youth and this idea gave birth to on-campus book festivals,” said a participating publisher.
Dr Hemalatha Reddy, principal of Sri Venkateswara College, concurred, saying, “There is an enormous need for book bazaars. Youngsters these days do not read books apart from their curriculum-based ones. This will help students look at and browse recently published titles apart from their course material.”
The first on-campus book bazaar that was held at the Faculty of Arts at the North Campus, in March this year, drew a healthy response from the younger section, says Richie Maheswari, an importer of books, and adds that a healthy turn-out on a working day augurs well for the weekend ahead.
“The initial response is even better. Keeping the demography in mind, we’ve brought the best of fiction, short stories and biographies here and the going has been good on the first day,” says Richie. Seconds Ajit Kar, a provider of educational techniques, saying, “An on-campus fair (such as this) is also a good mode for spreading a word regarding allied educational services and teaching techniques.”
The three-day fest will also see musical and dance performances, book quizzes, recitation of Hindi satire by well-known writers, storytelling session and a panel discussion on careers in fashion as well.
Canopies of 40-odd participating publishers attracted a good gathering barely hours after the launch. Swati S., a first year student of Bio Chemistry, says, “It’s convenient as it’s being held in our college itself. After 6-7 hours in class, even an avid reader like me barely has the energy to go to the library or bookstores, but here we can come down in between classes and look around not just for academic books, but for fiction and books for pleasure as well.”
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