17th Karachi Book Fair opens with call to make books affordable

As many as 150 leading publishers and booksellers from Pakistan and 40 exhibitors from 17 foreign countries have set up more than 330 bookstalls at the Karachi Expo Centre for the five-day 17th Karachi Book Fair 2022 that opened on Thursday.

Sindh Minister for Education and Culture Syed Sardar Ali Shah inaugurated the fair, while the opening ceremony was attended by Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan senior leader Aamir Khan, former Sindh Assembly member Mehtab Akbar Rashidi, Chairman Pakistan Publishers and Booksellers Association and Karachi International Book Fair Chairman Aziz Khalid and other eminent personalities, including writers, poets and politicians.

Shah said the first book he read in his life was Shah Jo Risalo on the advice of his grandfather. The new generations especially the youth gradually disconnected themselves from reading hardcopies of books, and this trend not only discouraged the book reading habit but also caused people to go far away from their culture.

He said all the progress in the world today is owed to books. There is an era of digital devices, but nothing has the ability to replace the pages of a book. “Perhaps we will be the last people of today's era who have had the pleasure of turning the pages of books,” he added.

The minister said that Urdu and Sindhi languages are not being given attention in our private educational institutions, as only two percent of private schools would have trained teachers who could teach the two languages in the future. “If we do not transfer our language to the next generations, then these books will remain useless. It has become necessary to protect our language.”

He said such book fairs should also be held in Hyderabad, Larkana and other districts of Sindh. He also vowed his cooperation in organising the book fairs. “The ministry is the regularity authority only. We always encourage stakeholders, society members, organisations, and institutions to come and play their positive role. The ministry will provide if anything is required.”

On the occasion, Rashidi said that two years ago when the whole world was dealing with the Covid epidemic and we could not even meet our loved ones to increase their courage during the illness, books stood with us. “When you read a book, you gain awareness of a new world. A book is a medium that connects you to the world. The habit of reading books makes you strong mentally and socially,” she said

Aziz Khalid said this book fair had been inaugurated by school and college students even before official inauguration. “The KIBF, which was started 17 years ago, is proving to be a fruitful and productive event. Public interest in the book fair is increasing every year,” he added.

He said the price of paper is increasing day by day and the prices are out of the reach of readers. The federal government should reduce the tax on paper and this matter be raised in the provincial assembly so that affordable books can be provided to the common man, including students.

First day

Even before the official opening, a large number of students of various schools and colleges participated in the KIBF being organised by the Pakistan Publishers and Booksellers Association. Writers, poets, social and political personalities who came to the exhibition termed the book fair welcoming for Karachi and said such an exhibition would be very helpful in improving the image of the city.

In the book fair, children from schools expressed their happiness. Students and parents bought their favorite books at discounted prices. The interest of women in the book fair was also noticeable. A large number of readers were taking an interest in local Urdu, Sindhi, Persian, Punjabi, and Gujarati books and literature.

The event

The event brings together publishing and distribution houses, domestic and international publishers, booksellers, librarians and institutional customers to a single platform. Publishers from Iran, India, Turkey, Singapore, China, Malaysia, England, UAE and other countries are attending the international event.

According to the KIBF organisers, more than 330 stands will display books on all subjects to readers, including vast numbers of families, students and book lovers from all over the country. The KIBF aims to motivate the nation's youth and students to take part in cultural and creative activities to strengthen their role as pillars of an intellectually, scientifically and culturally flourishing future. Around 400,000 people are expected to visit the 17th KIBF, which will open from 10am to 9pm daily from December 8 to December 12.