Nitish 'sells' more than Narendra Modi

PATNA: Even as three lakh footfalls have been registered at the Patna Book Fair (PBF) 2013 till Monday afternoon, publishers seem to have mixed reactions regarding the sale of books. While most of the sellers claimed that competition books are flying off the shelves, fiction and children's literature have few takers.

Civil services and UGC NET preparation books are selling the most. "The response of people has been good and schools have also placed orders with us," said Rajeev Verma, assistant sales manager of a leading publication company that has been putting up its stall for over 15 years.

With a total of 150 publishers at 350 stalls, the second fair put up this year is half the size of the first. The organizers rued that since Gandhi Maidan was made available only a few days before the fair, many publishers could not confirm their arrival.

For those who find fiction a tad expensive, a second-hand book stall could come to the rescue. "A lot of people have bought used books," said Ravi Nagpal, the stall owner.

At another popular publication house booth, books on arch rivals, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and his Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi were competing side by side for customers' attention. But, the Bihar chief minister seems to be more popular than his bete noire. "The title 'Nitish Kumar aur Ubharta Bihar' by Arun Sinha has sold more than 'Samajik Samrasta' by Narendra Modi," said Mahesh Shukla, one of the salespersons, adding, "However, people have taken to motivational books and 'Jeet Ka Jadu' by Ratneshwar Singh has sold the maximum copies at our stall. Biographies of scientists have also caught the fancy of Patnaites," he said.

Some publishers said that most of the people just came to check out books and very few bought them. Nursery rhymes on loudspeakers are beckoning kids at children book shops which are stocked with illustration-based books and educational CDs, among other things. The food stalls set up towards the rear side of the fair are also attracting a big footfall as Patnaites seemed to make the maximum of their visit.

TOI , Patna

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