Khasi author and poet Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih has been a popular choice among book lovers at the second edition of the Shillong Book Fair — organised by the National Book Trust under the Ministry of Education — on the premises of the State Central Library here.
The National Book Agency, which has a stall at the book fair, has sold about 50 copies of Nongkynrih’s 2007 book ‘Around the Hearth’. It is a collection of Khasi folktales.
“It has been in high demand. One reason is that Meghalaya is a tourism-centric State and people want to know about the place and its people. Folktales give an essence of the culture and tradition of a place. Also, they are short and easy to read. Over the years, I have sold about 15,000 copies of this book,” said Sujit Singh of the National Book Agency.
E S Majaw of Ri Khasi Book Agency said ‘Around the Hearth’ is “the best among the author’s books and has always been in high demand, even at the book fair”.
Among other books by Nongkynrih, the latest, ‘The Distaste of the Earth: A Journey into the Heart of the City’, has also been on buyers’ list. This book has been long listed for the prestigious JCB Prize for Literature 2024.
The National Book Agency has also seen high sales of Janice Pariat’s ‘Boats on Land’.
Books in the Khasi language and those authored by Khasis have seen impressive sales so far. Among them are ‘Khasi Heritage: A Collection of Essays on Khasi Religion and Culture, Mei’ by Raphael Warjri, ‘Tales of Darkness and Light’ by Janet Hujon, ‘Khasi Ethics’ by Barnes L. Mawrie, ‘Ha Yupiam Ka Bei’ (On Mother’s Lap) by singer and lyricist Amabel Susngi and ‘Notes on Walking Around Shillong’ by W Allsup.
Pynskhem Syiemlieh at the stall set up by the Khasi Authors’ Society said even books in the Khasi language have been popular at the fair.
Purelycare Lyngdoh, a college-goer, picked up ‘Ki Mraw Ha La Ri Lajong’ by Apol Mawniuh at the stall. “I want to know more about my tribe and also the language. I am reading more books in Khasi as I want my language to improve,” she said.
The stall set up by Martin Luther Christian University echoed the sentiments of other booksellers. ‘Ha Yupiam Ka Bei’ (On Mother’s Lap), ‘Tales of Darkness and Light’ and ‘Notes on Walking Around Shillong’ have particularly seen good sales,” said Baphrangdor Thangkhiew.
Besides books, the fifth day of the book fair had other events to offer to children and adults. The day started with folk dance performances by students of Seng Khasi Higher Secondary School and Mawngap Christian Multipurpose Higher Secondary School.
A session on puppet-making kept the young guests busy before they could participate in the orientation session on Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya.
Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts presented a book discussion on Basketry: Everyday Art of North East India. Dr Desmond L. Kharmawphlang spoke during the session.
