Book publishing course

By Our Reporter

SHILLONG, NOV 15: As online shopping has hit the book stores across the country including the north eastern region hard, a senior consultant with Ratna Sagar Pvt Ltd Sridhar Balan said that the union government is focusing on skill development and publishing as a skill can easily be taught.

Speaking at a first ever seven-day Book Publishing Course organized by the National Book Trust, India and the North Eastern Council (NEC) on Tuesday, Balan said, “Book stores are facing crises as many are closing down not due to lack of reading population but because people are buying online.”

Emphasizing on the development of publication as an industry, he pointed out the vast potentials of the NE region. Balan said that there is so much to tap particularly the literature and writing potentials adding if these are put together, so many things about the region can be published.

Balan also informed that they are looking forward for proposals from the north east with the recently launched of translation of full length works, stories and others.

In his inaugural address, NEC Secretary Ram Muivah said that the course is a good beginning and urged that such programme be organized annually with some support from the NEC.

Despite information technology playing a big role in this present generation, he however expressed optimism that there will always be publication and books to read.

“There will always be rooms and opportunity for publication. We must encourage reading habit,” Muivah said while pointing out that there is no dearth of writers from the region including Shillong.

On the other hand, MEPA vice president KK Jhunjhunwala said that north east is a paradise in itself as it has so much of strengths which can be published as a book. He felt many of these were not being highlighted as what are captured about the region was mostly negative.

He cited Meghalaya as an example and said the state is a world capital of caves but lamented many of these caves have disappeared due to mining activities.