National Book Fair: Mission to place books in every hand!

An incident so special, it is still remembered by many of those associated with the St. Joseph’s school, in Ranchi. In 1975, when the school principal was told that the school library building would take two years to be ready to move in, he had exclaimed, “Do you want my students to wait till that?” and had offered half of his Principal room to convert in to a makeshift Library. Encouraged by his gesture, the teachers had then offered the teachers’ room for the library. To top it all, an immediate collection drive had yielded a hefty sum of rupees fifty thousand. The makeshift library happened in a short span of time.

Later, though he took to journalism as a profession, he continued his efforts to contribute his bit to spread the book reading habit among those around him. This had a natural progression in turning to organizing what has become a brand by now, The National Book Fair.

Today he is recognized as the man who has organized over 500 editions of the fair in many parts of the nation, showcasing books, covering almost all topics under the sun, by a galaxy of authors and brought out by a range of publications.

The National Book Fair has been organized in all the districts of Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar and Jharkhand. He has taken the National Book Fair to Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh, Shillong in Meghalaya, Sikkim and other cities in the North East, apart from several other places like Chandigarh, Nainital, Shimla, Haridwar, Haldwani, Lucknow, Ayodhya, Aurangabad and Nagpur.

Notably, once a headline in a Hindi newspaper had flashed, ‘Books reverberate in the land of guns’ (बंदूक के इलाके में किताबोंकी गूंज) when he had successfully organized the book fair in the naxal affected region of Chapra in Jharkhand. He recalls the unforgettable sight of young people, thrilled to find themselves among so many books. He says, “It was so heart warming to see them watching, picking up, reading and buying books. The smell of the books. I have been in love with the books ever since I was a primary student. The smell is so refreshing, reassuring and enticing! The booklover is born then and there. The content in the books lead him further. None can miss it!”

Organizing a single national level event is arguably a daunting task involving management, financial, linguistic and local challenges. How could he manage to organize five hundred plus such events and still continues unperturbed?

He smiles and replies, “The task is more important. My self assigned task is to place a book in every palm!”

What does he think about the prospects of books in this Internet era? Isn’t this an uphill task? Isn’t he being too optimistic, while swimming against the tide?

He replies, “I have been organizing the National Book Fair since the time there were no mobile phones. See, the content is prime. It is supreme. You can consume it from whichever source. But, kindly do remember that the printed books rank much higher on the credibility factor. My experience is that the books don’t lie. I am happy that today I am being assisted by my son Yash. The new generation bears a lot of dreams and is capable to deliver!”

The happiest moment of his life, so far?

“When the Delhi government took initiative in establishing libraries in every school. I will be much happier, if all the state governments in our country decide and act to create libraries in every classroom!”

What is the hindrance?

“Some of those officials who want their palms greased at any cost and who do not prioritize books. And some of those local book traders who look at it through the monetary glasses and put spanners in the good works by the others. I have been stopped and my book fair obstructed at three places in the past by some vested local interests backed by some officials with such a pro corruption mindset. I think, such people are more dangerous than the terrorists and naxals themselves!” He shares with a tinge of sadness.

Mr. Chandra Bhushan is currently in Nagpur with the new edition of the National Book Fair (13th to 22nd Oct., 2023, St. Ursula ground, civil lines).

Chandra Bhushan can be contacted on

Mobile: 9811271465

(images: Chandra Bhushan)

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