In the world of books!

-Shrujana Ramalingam

Imagine a place where the boundaries of time and space dissolve, and all that's left is the gentle rustle of pages and the soft murmur of book lovers in rapt conversation – welcome to the Mega Book Fair in Coimbatore.

Reading books might take you to different worlds, but the mere act of buying pulls you away from all rational consciousness. It is very similar to buying a ticket to a movie or a show. It is like a portal that opens further into your journey, far and wide, wherever the book takes you to. This selective consciousness creates a deep void that sucks in all the external voices, and everything except the images of books are simply fuzzy figures that are either not worth any notice or the time.

It's quite difficult to articulate the exact thought process when I enter a bookstore, or for a dramatic explosion, say a book expo! "Water water everywhere, not a drop to drink," said Coleridge, but had he looked at the sea of books that I encountered, he might have pronounced, "Paper and hardbacks everywhere, all choking in black ink". Such was the feeling that came over me as I stepped into the Mega Book Fair at CODISSIA in Coimbatore. The Fair commenced on 19th of July and drew to an end on 28th of July, 2024.

As an honest hoarder of books, I faithfully visited the stalls on the very first day of their installation. I went with a friend (luckily, I remembered that when I came out) and visited just around 20 stalls. I regretted not visiting all the 285 stalls, but deep down, I knew that it was just the beginning of a long series. I went there two more times and came back with at least a dozen books which I'm incredibly proud of and for which my roommates are not so happy at all!

To record my exact emotions, I would say that I felt like a hamster hoarding food for the winter. Looking at all the colourful books stacked on both axes (horizontally and vertically), I was transported to another dimension where I heard only the soft whisperings of each book trying to lure me with the stories of the lives they held.

Yes, I met millions of friends ready to patch up the crevices of my brain with their balmy words.

I must confess that it was not just my love for reading that took me there thrice, but also the welcoming aroma of each book as I held them in my hands (sometimes, you might have to sniff, but I ask you to refrain from doing that in public).

Old and new books alike enchanted my mind, and to be honest, only the billing counters could toll me back from the fairytale lands of endless books- of course, everything came at a price!

I went to the book fair only to buy books, but in that exciting journey, I had the privilege to connect with like-minded people. I have always dreamt of long, late-night conversations on books, and that bore the flowers of fruition in the grand expo. I met a person who was as enthusiastic about books as me and we talked of Shakespeare, Marlowe, and literature in general for more than an hour. He dropped interesting trivia on the conspiracy theories of Shakespeare's authorship and quoted excellent lines from various plays from the grooves of his brain! I came to the hostel happier than ever because the incident was a testimony not only to the existence of book lovers but also to the existence of kind-hearted people. The place was a consortium of interesting people lost inside their minds, but all the way reaching the exit reluctantly as if their bodies were souls, and the books their bodies.

That's a wrap, but wait a second! Be the first to go to a book expo the next time one comes up: if not for the books, at least for the bookmarks!

*Picture in Header : Book fair in Codissia (Picture credit: Shrujana Ramalingam)