Film adaptations of books along with a graphic showcase of Indian cinema is the focus of the upcoming Delhi Book Fair, which has gone high technology with an exclusive mobile app designed for visitors to navigate the sprawling Pragati Maidan venue here.
"We are launching a mobile app which will tell people about the position of stalls, pavilions, washrooms and other essential amenities at the venue. This is an attempt to make the fair experience more relaxed and comfortable," President, Federation of Indian Publishers (FIP), Ashok Gupta said.
The FIP in collaboration with Indian Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) is organising the 20th edition of the nine-day fair beginning August 23 with the theme "Literature in Cinema".
Along with the 'Delhi Book Fair' mobile app, organisers have also made sure that visitors do not have waste time in long queues to get tickets.
"Visitors can book their tickets online and avoid queue at the fair. We have also kept ten air-conditioned buses to ferry visitors from the gates to the halls," V Meera, General Manager, ITPO said.
The journey of Indian cinema from the first silent film to latest flicks would also be showcased graphically at the Fair.
Books that have been converted into cinema are set to be displayed in a graphics format at the theme pavilion. Film adaptations of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's book "Devdas" as well as that of Chetan Bhagat's "Five Point Someone" are featured.
Apart from making the technological leap, the organisers aim to attract a large number of school children.
"We have contacted number of schools and education officers. We have also arranged for air-conditioned shuttle buses for conveyance of the students," Gupta said.
Despite a steep fall in number of bookshops across Delhi, the Delhi Book Fair has received a positive response.
"The Delhi Book Fair has achieved a 15 per cent growth rate the last time. This is because book fare is a medium to make all kinds of book available under a single roof at a discounted price," Chairman, Delhi Book Fair Committee Sudhir Malhotra said.
