While the Goa Arts and Literary Festival is all about the
promotion of things that celebrate writing, art and discourse, there is a
series of unsung heroes that play a large role in the festival too. They are
the ones that fill the courtyard with an area of perusal. They are the ones
that fill up the space with a level of colour and vibrancy that is
unprecedented. They are the book stalls that are sprawled across the lawn of
the International Centre Goa.
This year’s edition of the GALF has seen newcomers make
their entry into this sphere, and they traverse international borders and
boundaries too. “This is my first time setting up a stall at GALF. Indian
authors are very dedicated to writing, and are very articulate. I have two
books of my own at this stall, and there are others here from Singapore too. We
have been so well received here and the festival has served as a massive source
of generation of interest in our books too,” says Kristene Chia of the
Singapore Lit Stall.
Closer to home, another new entrant is Cartonline Mumbai. “I
have brought my wares to GALF for the first time, and it is my first day today.
Yet, there is an immensely positive response. I think that it should pick up
over the course of the years to come. There is more focus on literature so it
is mostly drama and poetry books. Not even fiction,” says Sandeep Pawar, their
representative at GALF.
Of course, many stalls are also present on the premises
because the authors that they represent are participants at the festival too.
“This is our first time participating here and one of our authors, Samita Vani
participated in the event two years ago. A few of the authors we publish are
also speaking here today,” says C. Manivannan of Tara Books, Chennai.
However, for every newcomer, there is a person returning; a
stalwart who knows the ropes of the GALF and how it works. The Bookwork
Library, renowned across the state for generating awareness when it comes to
reading, is one such venture. Malcom Braganza, a representative of the concern
at the venue, says “We have been to GALF before too. So far the response has
been positive. The last time, a different volunteer was handling the store, but
as far as I can tell, this year there has been better.”
And speaking of stalwarts, no literary festival would ever
be complete without mentioning the fine work undertaken by one of Goa’s premier
publishers, Cinnamon Teal Publishing. Queeny Fernandes, who mans the stall
titled, The Prints and the Paper says “We have been to GALF last year too. This
time there are a lot more people involved and a lot more sessions and
activities. Books in Konkani and Devanagari have a high demand here, especially
since they are all the rage now.”
Last, but possibly the most involved in the venture is
Panjim’s very own, Broadway Book Centre. “We have been here every year since
inception, and remain one of the sponsors too. Each year the response has
increased for all genres, especially for Indian authors. Examples of this are
The End of Imagination by Arundhati Roy and Ferry Crossing by Manohar
Shetty,” says Kedar Gaonkar.
So when at the GALF, drop by a stall. What you may find
there may in fact define your very reason for being there in the first place; a
love of and for literature.
