Never in my six odd decades in Goa has one seen so many books, and in such diversity, in a single place on display and sale in Margao
If you weren't at Ravindra Bhavan over the past five days, you've definitely missed something. From Feb 27 (Thu) to March 3 (Mon), 2025, that space was home to The Goa Book Fair. Its organisers, Leonard Fernandes and Queenie Rodrigues, are actually competitors to this columnist in the book space; but the venture was so neatly crafted that one cannot but say good things about the same.
It was hard to actually count and verify, but The Goa Book Fair boasted that it had "150+ Sessions. 100+ Speakers. 5 Days of Bliss". The first thing that stood out was the neat planning, layout and structure of the event.
Unlike the chaotic manner in which many events in Goa usually get held, the schedules were organised fairly well in advance. There were huge boards, listing the days' programmes, in neatly crafted columns. The stalls looked orderly with a diverse range of books. Are book prices going beyond the reach of average readers? That is another debate...
If there is some little scope for criticism, it would be that the participation of people at the event, on some days, was a little on the lower side. Things picked up by the weekend, especially on Sunday. But surely, an event of this scope and nature deserved more footfalls and participation.
For this, only we in Goa can be blamed. We are quick to throng to events related to music, food or festivities (including festam and zatras). But, when it comes to intellectual activities, our interest seems to currently at a low ebb.
Surely, the 'Athens of Goa', as Margao once took pride in calling itself, could have done better in responding to this 'feast of books'. Margao earned this sobriquet because of its rich history, diverse cultures, and old-world charm. A fascination with the printed word should also be part of this, isn't it? Didn't some of the greatest writers on Goa, including Europeans writing in Konkani, once come from Rachol and its surroundings? Then, there were the lyricists, authors and printing presses of the 19th-20th centuries too.
Now that the event is over, there's no point in living in regret. All the same, for the sake of maintaining a record, let's not forget this event without attempting to discuss it in words.
Never in my six odd decades in Goa has one seen so many books, and in such diversity, in a single place on display and sale here. The National Book Trust and the Children's Book Trust have been largely unfair to Goa. Their book fairs here have been few and far between. If organised at places like the Institute Menezes Braganza, few seem to want to visit that venue.
Even the Government of Goa has done little to promote awareness about locally-relevant books. For instance, only in one year were books given a separate section at the Crafts Festival at the Kala Academy. Sometimes, the Tourism authorities have also seen fit to treat books as 'heritage'. But much more could clearly be done.
Quite a few authors showed up -- many interesting names in their own right, from top musician Remo Fernandes to Konkani and cultural activists Anwesha Singbal and Prashanti Talpankar, artist Orijit Sen, Mumbai-based Fiona Fernandez and Nandita da Cunha, besides others. There were a range of publishers too.
To see labels like the Ekalavya Foundation, KBM, Blaft, Amar Chitra Katha, Niyogi Books, Blu Toad, The Little Dipper under one roof is something not many in Goa might otherwise experience. Even the Goa Writers Group collaboratively put up its stall, and invited the audience to interact or check out books their members authored.
Talks (on literary subjects, poetry sessions, some specially meant for kids) were held at on multiple parallel spaces; the book viewing, buying and selling went on in the main space.
Like for any event in Goa, there is always a challenge to get the right mix between local participation and wider involvement. Since there were many parallel venues, one got the impression that many suggestions made it to the final lineup. And while Leonard and team have been holding this event for the past few years in Goa, this year is only so much bigger and better.
In their favour, the organisers announced their plans early, allowing for better preparations. What was surprising was the number of book exhibitors they lured from other parts of the country -- paying their own way, and for the stall too. If only Goa could build its reputation as a space for bibliophiles, like Kolkata, Chennai and other places do.
One needs to appreciate the work done by the couple behind this event, staged through their private initiative (the assistance of Ravindra Bhavan, and a few others, was acknowledged).
Leonard Fernandes and Queenie Rodrigues, expat Goans, returned back to Goa from the US and UK respectively, when still very young. They come from the world of engineering and economics. In their past, their PublishingNext event -- a national level event for publishers -- was very successful.
