“The reading culture among the youth in Kathmandu is on a rise,” Baral claims. Bookworm entertains customers of all ages, youth in particular make up “frequent visitors.” The festival’s schedule, therefore, is arranged keeping them in mind.[break]
Actor Rajesh Hamal will inaugurate the festival and writer/journalist Buddisagar will share his personal experience through “Father and Son: A Discussion on Karnali Blues”.
All excited about the event, he says these festivals prove to be a platform not only for the readers but also for writers.
Such festivals have books on huge discounts enabling younger lot to lay hands on them easily without being heavy on the pocket. For writers the festivals are a medium to display and discuss their work directly with their audience, an opportunity for sale and relation building.
A young writer, Buddhisagar claims his book Karnali Blues was swept off the market by young people. “Eighty-five percent of my readers are youth,” he says.
Ajit Phuyal, a 19-year-old reader, is as excited as the writer. He says he has a lot of questions for Buddhisagar, his current favorite writer. “I want to start writing myself,” he says, adding, “not only will the event give me chance to interact with my favorite writer but also to buy books on great discount.” The discounts on books are set to reach up to 80 percent at the fest.
The organizer, Baral, says huge discounts are being offered targeting the younger lot so that they can buy books with their pocket money. “If books are affordable, reading habits are bound to increase,” he says.
Vijaya Tamla, organizer of the book discussion series at Himalayan Readers Book Club agrees. An active group since 2005, it holds book reading sessions fortnightly.
“A lot of our group members are young people,” he says. The club members, some as young as ninth graders, complain about the prohibitive cost and say inaccessibility of books often plays dampener on their desire to read.
“I hope the Bookworm festival will have lots of choices on offer,” he says. Currently, two other book festivals are being held annually in Kathmandu. The Sajaha Prakashan Book Fair and the Nepal Education and Book Fair, both these festivals attract large crowd.
This is not, however, the end of the good news for the common reader. The Kathmandu Literary Jatra 2011, Nepal’s first annual Literature Festival is on its way.
Come September and more than 30 national and International writers will assemble together in Patan.
While we eagerly wait for the jatra later this year ‘The Bookworm Fest’ too promises a lot. With an array of literary activities including prominent writers like Rabi Thapa and Prawin Adhikari, Jagadish Ghimire, Rabindra Mishra and also Dr Baburam Bhattarai, Pradip Giri and Raghuji Pant participating in discussions, the book lovers are sure get a hearty feast.
If the current waves are anything to go by, book festivals and reading events are sure to become essential feature of Kathmandu’s cultural calendar, something the youth of the city eagerly look forward to.
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