The 31st edition of Guwahati Book Fair got off to a rousing start at the Assam Engineering Institute field in Chandmari today. Guwahati Book Fair is organized every year by the publication board of Assam. Eminent Sri Lankan author Deshamanya Jayaratna Banda Dissanayake, publication board vice chairman Sumanta Chaliha, Chief Minister’s Media Adviser Hrishikesh Goswami attended at the inaugural ceremony.
This year Assam Publishers and Book Sellers Association had launched a four-day statewide strike against free distribution of textbooks to the students of government and government aided schools.
Around 75 publishers had participated in the fair this year. There are nine publishers from Delhi, six from Calcutta, one from Ranchi, one from Shillong and one from Himachal Pradesh and one from Bangladesh. Among the publishers Penguin India of national repute will also be a part of the fair.
56 Assam publishers have participated this year. At the Guwahati Book Fair, Assam Chief Minister will confer a lifetime achievement on Assamese author Atulananda Goswami.
Authors from Kolkata including Ranjan Bandyopadhyay and Vinod Ghoshal are expected to participate in the fair. Assam Publication Board, will release 40 books, including 18 reprint editions, of which five will be by writers who received its fellowship during the Guwahati Book Fair .