Now, a bookstore on wheels

In Bengal, there isn't much to boast of at least as far as its economy is concerned. Rampant rallies, intermittent bandhs and frequent poitical disturbances often mar the state's daily routine.

However, we often tend to overlook the state's thriving publishing industry which registers a turnover of not less than Rs 35-40 crore (Rs 350-400 million) every year.

This, indeed, is an impressive figure in the age of Internet and television and also when reading, as a habit, is stated to have taken a backseat.

A hefty part of this turnover accrues from sale at the Kolkata Book Fair held under the aegis of the Publishers and Booksellers' Guild in January and February every year. People from all over West Bengal and also from other states throng this annual bonanza of books.

Taking cue from the readers' response, Mitra & Ghosh Publishers Private Ltd, one of the oldest and most prominent publishing houses of the state, has taken the initiative of organising a mobile book fair across West Bengal, starting this month. Mitra & Ghosh is launching this venture in collaboration with Mass Education.

First of its kind in Bengal and, perhaps, also in India, this is one of the events in the publishing house's long list of celebrations to mark its 75th anniversary this year.

What is this mobile book fair? How does it plan to cater to the book lovers? Will it be confined to Bengal alone?

To know more about this novel venture, read on.

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"When we were celebrating our 75th anniversary in March, one of our new directors suggested this idea to us and we just fell for it," Manish Chakraborty, the company's joint managing director, told rediff.com.

"We heard that our founders -- writers Gajendra Kumar Mitra and Sumatha Nath Ghosh used to hawk books across India. When this plan was broached to us, we thought we should go for it.

"For, it would serve many purposes -- it would increase our sale, popularise reading habit among the masses and at the same time it would reinvent the spirit of book canvassing as propagated by our founders."

It should be mentioned that a modest brainchild of the two eminent writers of yester years, this publishing house now has 40 permanent and 100 temporary staff.

With an annual turnover of Rs 2.5 crore (25 million), the publishing house registers a daily sale of Rs 50,000 on an average.

It boasts of about 1,500 published titles and has been working with at least 250 writers of repute.

. . .

"The entire event will be held in collaboration with Mass Education. We are grateful to Sukumar Singh, its chief functionary, for lending us support in terms of logistics, transport and manpower.

"The first fair will be held in suburban towns of Chandannagar and Uttarpara on July 31 and August 1 and the subsequent ones will be held in other important towns of West Bengal before visiting parts of Kolkata. We plan to organise 12 mobile book fairs across the state in the next two months," Chakraborty said.

"We are inviting various publishers, English and Bengali alike, to send their published titles to us. We plan to sell their books as well at the fair.

"We shall be carrying the books in a truck and on reaching our venue, will set up a makeshift stall. For our first fair, we are liaising with municipal bodies, libraries, clubs etc," said Chakraborty.

Asked about how much money they think they can make through this venture, the joint managing director sang an optimistic tune, "Though financial benefit does not happen to be the sole driving force for a business enterprise of this stature, we do hope to reap in good profits."

. . .

Sukumar Singh, chief functionary of Mass Education, is all smiles ever since he got the offer to collaborate with Mitra & Ghosh.

"A book fair of this kind will give us an opportunity to spread the message of education among the masses and will also help us do a need-based survey among the population of Bengal," he told rediff.com.

"We run numerous schools in rural Bengal. We have published several books on social studies. This book fair will give us a scope to feel the public pulse as also to interact with the people.

"As the event is being handled by one of the oldest names in Bengal's publishing history, it will help us have a wider reach", he said.

Preparatory work is on in full swing at Mass Education's office in Kamalgaji, near Garia in South 24 Parganas.

"To start with, we have kept things simple. We are printing pamphlets, banners and other publicity materials, are going to insert an advertisement in the leading dailies and are also organising a press conference next week', he informed.

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Both Chakraborty and Singh like to dream big. Therefore, the duo plans to carry this mobile book fair to other parts of India by the end of this year.

"We intend to carry this fair to various cities of India. We would then travel long distances by road and chalk out strategic halt points that would double up as sale counters," said Singh.

"The main idea behind this is to make books accessible to those who are in love with the printed words yet who do not often get the time or the opportunity to buy them," said Chakraborty.

How hopeful are the duo about the plan's success?

"Ever since our idea started doing the rounds of Kolkata's boipara (bookmart), queries have poured in from every corner. Many clubs and non-government organisations have expressed their willingness to collaborate with us," said Chakraborty.

"Going by the initial trends, we are pretty sure that the idea would meet with commercial as well as intellectual success."

Whatever be the outcome, Mitra and Ghosh and Mass Education have dared to think of conducting a book fair of similar design in France in December.

"We have drawn up a draft plan for the same and the details are being worked out," Singh told rediff.com.

. . .

These mobile book fairs are not enough to satisfy the creative urge of the dynamic duo. They plan to build a book hospital -- first of its kind in India -- to restore and preserve books.

The same is being set up within Mass Education premises at Kamalgaji near Garia.

Mass Education's chief functionary Singh is up to his neck setting up the infrastructure for the same whereas his publisher partner is busy networking with the probable clients.

Apart from reinstating and mending old and rare books, the hospital, as per plan, will also conduct workshops and trainings on book binding and book preservation.

"Once the infrastructure is in place, we will set up an interactive website to address our clients," said Chakraborty of Mitra & Ghosh.

Seeing the pace of work that is going on at the venue, the hospital is likely to be operational by the first week of September.

"As our books will need to travel vigorously during the mobile book fairs, in case they are damaged, we will refer them to our book hospital," said Chakraborty.

"Since we made a living out of books all our lives, they are not just some inanimate objects of knowledge. If you allow me to exaggerate s bit, for us, they are even precious than human lives", he signed off.