A reader’s paradise in Goa, the annual Goa Book Fair is back in Margao where one is spoilt for choice when it comes to buying books. Goa Book Fair is organised by The Dogears Bookshop, Margao and presented by Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, from January 4 to 8 from 10 am to 8 pm.
Nestled in the narrow lanes of Margao, The Dogears Bookshop has evolved tremendously over the years, founded by husband-wife duo of Leonard Fernandes and Queenie Rodrigues. “Over the years, we have expanded the selection of books we offer customers, and have increased both, the number of programmes and their range. We have books for all tastes, and our programmes now include workshops, author meetings, children’s reading sessions and a whole lot more,” says Leonard, who feels that post-pandemic more people are visiting bookshops.
How important are author interactions with the readers? “Very important. When readers hear about the book from the authors themselves, they get involved with the book and are persuaded to buy the book,” adds Leonard, who has also given importance to author interactions at the fair.
The Goa Book Fair serves as a platform for publishers from across the country to showcase their books to a discerning readership in Goa. With the range in genres and languages this year, the book fair promises to be a wonderful experience. This year, books in English, Konkani, Marathi, Hindi and Kannada will be available.
Speaking about the motive to organise the Goa Book Fair, Leonard says, “There are too few bookshops in Goa. As a result, many kinds of books, and, in fact, many books themselves are not available in Goa. The Goa Book Fair, by bringing many booksellers and publishers together, addresses this problem. There will be a wide range of books available in each genre, in many languages, and across age groups. Moreover, it provides an opportunity for readers to connect with publishers and get to know of more of the books they publish. With many such books available, we are convinced that everyone will find at least something interesting to read. We therefore ask people to attend even if they “do not like reading.” Finally, we have many programmes scheduled for children and adults that we hope will bring people together.”
The first edition of the Goa Book Fair was held in February 2023 and Leonard calls the response as phenomenal. “Since it was the first edition, we were wondering what the response might be, but we were pleasantly surprised by the number of people who turned up, and by the number of schools who brought their students along,” he adds.
With most events centred around Panjim, Margao takes the lead when it comes to a literature fest with Goa Book Fair. “We hadn’t had a book fair for many years before the first edition last year, so there is no real advantage Panjim had. Plus Panjim is known for its commercial activities, not any literary ones. Margao, in that sense, can set the tone for the way literary activities are held. Margao is well connected with the rest of Goa, and indeed with places outside Goa such as Karwar, Belagavi, and Kolhapur. So we are setting that tone and asking people to support us,” says Leonard, who also successful organised nine editions of Publishing Next conference, which brought together publishers and publishing professionals from across the country in Goa, to discuss issues related to diverse aspects of the book trade.
Besides a wide range of books across different genres, there are many programmes for children and adults too. “We have various programmes for children and adults that include book readings, and art and craft workshops. Similarly, we will have a couple of book discussions - Michelle Mendonça Bambawale will discuss her new book, ‘Becoming Goan’, in conversation with Jose Lourenço on January 7 at 4 pm, while Mario Coelho will discuss his new book, ’Moonlight and Shadow: Unsettling Tales’, in conversation with Clifford DeSilva on January 6 at 4 pm. These workshops for children will be held by artists and art educators who are well known for their work,” informs Leonard.
Today, Ragini Dhingra will conduct a reading of the book, ‘The tiger skin rug’ by Gerald Rose at 5 pm. Participants in the age group of 6- 10 years will weave their own table mat to take home.
On January 5, Satish D’sa will conduct a session at 4 pm on ‘Umbilical Tales – Communicating with children through stories’ for parents. This will be followed by a reading of the book ‘What Shall I Make?’ by Nandini Nayar, conducted by Ragini Dhingra for participants in the age group of 2-5 years, who will make their own stick puppets to take home. At 6 pm, Supriya Mendonça conduct a reading of ‘The Woolly Bear Caterpillar’, followed by an activity session during which the children will make a butterfly pencil topper at 6 pm.
On January 6, the day will begin with a session on making bookmarks at 11 am by Shruti Narayan, who will be speaking to children in the age group of 4-15 years about their favourite character, colours etc on the basis of which, they will design and take home two cool bookmarks made by them. Paper Cut Lettering will be conducted by Teamea Alvares at 4 pm where participants will be introduced to lettering and use the technique of collage to create a quick lettering piece with paper cut-out letters. A reading of the book ‘The Tomato Thief’, by Niyatee Parikh Sharma will be conducted by Ragini Dhingra at 5 pm. at 6 pm, Satish D’sa will conduct ‘An Owl, Afraid of the Dark’, the story of an owl and a firefly, presented as a night lamp that children paint and takeaway.
On January 7, there will be four sessions for children beginning at 11 am with a workshop conducted by Gautam Nima, involving a combination of creative storytelling, creative movement and creative music. At 4 pm, The Jasmine Garland, a puppet performance about flowers and moonbeams, love and kindness, moles and blindness will be held by Satish D’Sa. Children above the age of six years can participate in the Mini-Book Making Session conducted by Ragini Dhingra at 5 pm. Participants will learn about books and make their own mini book. The evening will conclude with Fun with Finger Puppets held by Shruti Narayan at 6 pm. Children in the age group of 4-10 years will create finger puppets using varied materials.
On January 8, at 4 pm, a reading of the book ‘Bukruddin’s Fridge’ will be conducted by Supriya Mendonça, followed by a craft activity session for children who are four years and above. The concluding session of the Goa Book Fair will be ‘The Forgotten Art of Letter Writing’ at 5 pm, conducted by Ragini Dhingra. Participants will be introduced to the recent past when letter writing was such a common part of life. They will then make their own postcard and take them home to post.
“We have a larger number of publishers and booksellers this year, from all across the state and the country. Those participating include Konkani Bhasha Mandal, Dalgado Konknni Akademi, Sahitya Akademi, Prakash Books with its two imprints, Fingerprint Books, and Wonder House Books, Hawakal Publishers, Vishwakarma Publications, HarperCollins India, Embassy Books, and a host of others,” concludes Leonard, as he informs about the fair that will have over 30 stalls this year.