Jumbo Editorial Team
The 13th Colombo International Book Fair 2011 witnessed endless crowds flocking to the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) bringing together die-hard fans, publishers and organizers.
“The Book Fair is good and the prices are reasonable,” enthused Yusra Farzan, who said that she visited the Book Fair not once, but twice during the week, along with her friends.
The entrance tickets were priced at Rs 10 and the proceeds went to the ‘Daru Diriya Trust’ administered by the Sri Lanka Book Publishers Association, BMICH and Sampath Bank. Every cent was put into the trust and even the cost of printing the tickets was not deducted.
“Using the interest from the fund, scholarships are awarded to students who excel in their studies but due to financial constraints are unable to further their education,” said Shan Rajaguru, Director of the Sri Lanka Book Publishers Association, the organizers of the Book Fair.
“The inaugural Book Fair was held in 1999 at the National Art Gallery under the name ‘Kolamba Poth Salpila’ had just 37 stalls. This year, there were 400 stalls of which 40 were international stalls from countries such as India, Singapore, Malaysia, Germany, UK and USA,” he disclosed.
The Book Fair coincided with the National Literary month and hence saw the burst of publication. “Four hundred books, both Sri Lankan and foreign are being launched during the course of the Book Fair,” he added.
The Sri Lanka Book Publishers Association also availed the opportunity to promote Sinhala Literature in the country. The ‘Swarna Pusthaka’ (Golden Book) award was given to the best Sinhala Original Novel by a Sri Lankan author.
This year, the fifth ‘Swarna Pusthaka’ award was given to Sunethra Rajakarunanayake for her book ‘Kavi Kandura’.
“It is a service that we are rendering to the book loving public and it is our duty to the nation,” Bandula Ekanayake, Director General/CEO of the BMICH, said adding that much preparation and thought go into organizing the Book Fair.
The 13th Colombo International Book Fair 2011 witnessed endless crowds flocking to the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) bringing together die-hard fans, publishers and organizers.
“The Book Fair is good and the prices are reasonable,” enthused Yusra Farzan, who said that she visited the Book Fair not once, but twice during the week, along with her friends.The entrance tickets were priced at Rs 10 and the proceeds went to the ‘Daru Diriya Trust’ administered by the Sri Lanka Book Publishers Association, BMICH and Sampath Bank. Every cent was put into the trust and even the cost of printing the tickets was not deducted.
“Using the interest from the fund, scholarships are awarded to students who excel in their studies but due to financial constraints are unable to further their education,” said Shan Rajaguru, Director of the Sri Lanka Book Publishers Association, the organizers of the Book Fair.“The inaugural Book Fair was held in 1999 at the National Art Gallery under the name ‘Kolamba Poth Salpila’ had just 37 stalls. This year, there were 400 stalls of which 40 were international stalls from countries such as India, Singapore, Malaysia, Germany, UK and USA,” he disclosed.
The Book Fair coincided with the National Literary month and hence saw the burst of publication. “Four hundred books, both Sri Lankan and foreign are being launched during the course of the Book Fair,” he added.The Sri Lanka Book Publishers Association also availed the opportunity to promote Sinhala Literature in the country. The ‘Swarna Pusthaka’ (Golden Book) award was given to the best Sinhala Original Novel by a Sri Lankan author.
This year, the fifth ‘Swarna Pusthaka’ award was given to Sunethra Rajakarunanayake for her book ‘Kavi Kandura’.
“It is a service that we are rendering to the book loving public and it is our duty to the nation,” Bandula Ekanayake, Director General/CEO of the BMICH, said adding that much preparation and thought go into organizing the Book Fair.
No comments:
Post a Comment