Dera violence spoils day at book fair

New Delhi: Book lovers might be in for some disapointment at the Delhi Book Fair this year that began here on Saturday, thanks to the violence that ensued following the conviction of Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim on Friday.

The 23rd edition of the fair appears to have all the makings of a failed show with chirpings of “scanty footfall” owing to people avoiding getting caught in the violence. Ruchi, a regular visitor to book fairs, turned up at the venue sans company because her friends could not risk travelling all the way from Gurgaon.

“My friends were not allowed to come here. Since I am putting up in Karol Bagh, I didn’t face much restriction from my parents. “Of course I am happy that I could make it, but visiting a book fair with friends and coming all alone...You know the difference, right?,” said the 23-year-old, who managed to lay her hands on a copy of one of her favourite P G Wodehouse classics for as cheap as Rs 150. The book-fair is going to be a “lose-lose situation” for both publishers claims Saurabh from Nanda book service.

“Our weekend business will take a hit because of what played out on the roads on Friday. The government  imposed section 144, so we are not expecting people to turn up in the coming days,” said Saurabh, who has been participating in the fair for over a decade now. Book stall owners at the venue expressed concern over how things would pan out after the Dera chief’s quantum of punishment is announced on August 28.