For over 30 years, it has quenched the thirst of countless readers and served as a rendezvous point for old friends, but the Patna Book Fair has missed its date with the city this year, leaving people disheartened.
The 25th edition of the grand event was scheduled be held from December 6-17 at the Samrat Ashok International Convention Centre adjoining the Gandhi Maidan, but organisers said it will "not be held this year".
"December has always been the preferred month for hosting the book fair in Patna. Because of the increased rent for the hiring facilities at the convention centre, we have called it off this year. In 2019 also, it looks difficult as there will be exams and elections are due," author Ratneshwar Singh said.
Singh, who is also the president of the NGO -- Centre for Readership Development (CRD) -- that hosts the event, said the Patna Book Fair became an integral part of the city since it began in 1985, with the sprawling Gandhi Maidan being its traditional venue since inception.
Young poet and Patna University alumnus Anchit is dejected at the thought of the fair not happening this year.
"As children, we grew up in Patna looking forward to attend the fair every year. Initially, I used to go with my parents and in college, it was with friends or going solo. Even in the digital age, to be in the company of books, that feeling is amazing," he said.
"The Gandhi Maidan was the best venue for the fair as one could see the sky, hear the sound of a cultural event being staged nearby and enjoy the aroma of litti-choka wafting in the air, while browsing books. Holding it indoors was not a very good idea," the 28-year-old said.
Singh said last year, the event was shifted to the state-of-the-art International Convention Centre, which was inaugurated in 2017.
"We know the emotional value attached to the book fair and how people look forward to it every year, be it the readers or the publishers. And we are equally disappointed that it will not be held this year. Also, next year, the International Book Fair, Delhi and the Kolkata Book Fair are slated to be held, so hosting it in early 2019 also looks difficult," he told PTI.
Going down the memory lane, Singh said since 1985, people of all ages had thronged the fair every year as it became not just a confluence of authors, poets and readers, but also a meeting point for friends and couples.
Amit Jha, Convener, Patna Book Fair, said the fair was the "Facebook" of its time, when people used it for social activities and made new friends while browsing books.
Many love stories were scripted at the fair and many romances blossomed into marriages after courtships at the book fair, he added.
"I got a call from Sydney a few years ago and the man on the other end said, 'I belong to Patna and used to visit the book fair a lot. I now live in Australia. I had met a woman at the fair, who is now my wife'," Jha told PTI.
People got to see new books and faces at the fair, so it was the "Facebook" of its era, he said with a tongue-in-cheek humour.
Patna-based poet and author Arun Kamal said irrespective of whether it was held indoors or at the Gandhi Maidan, the "seriousness of the fair should never be compromised".
"If it takes centrestage on a sprawling ground but becomes a venue for promoting coaching institutions, then the whole purpose is defeated. Also, hosting it indoors is better for old people like us as a lot of dust is kicked up at the Gandhi Maidan. It is sad that we will not see the fair this year," he said.
The Sahitya Akademi award recipient rued that many small publishers were "unable to participate" in the fair due to the cost factor, adding that "it is a loss for the readers".
Asked what he enjoyed at the fair in its early years, Kamal said, "Cotton candy ('hawa mithai')."
Recollecting the over three-decades-long journey of the fair, Singh said its second edition was held in 1988 and subsequently, in 1990, 1991 and 1992.
"From 1992-2002, it was held every two years, and from 2003, it has been organised annually. Only in 2000 and 2002, it was shifted to the Pataliputra Colony Grounds, otherwise the venue has always been the historic Gandhi Maidan, where our mascot 'Appu' has been beckoning the readers to the fair," he added.
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