Korea Calling

When the Seoul International Book Fair 2013 (SIBF) opened on Wednesday,South Korean readers found,among the attractions,a giant replica of the Sanchi Gate.

When the Seoul International Book Fair 2013 (SIBF) opened on Wednesday,South Korean readers found,among the attractions,a giant replica of the Sanchi Gate. It was the

entrance to a 1,000 sq m pavilion filled with books and artwork from India. The Korean Publishers Association has invited India to be the guest of honour country for the first time,and this pavilion has been set up by National Book Trust (NBT).

The Indian pavilion,designed with artefacts such

as a sculpture of Buddha in Gandhara style (created by sculptor Biswjit Majumdar),offers a vibrant array to

visitors from illustration workshops and fora for

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India and Korean publishers to an Indian cookery show and an exhibition on the theme,Reading Spaces,by contemporary artists such as Anupam Sud,Jatin Das and Manu Parekh. The pavilion also pays tribute to 100 years of Indian cinema with screenings of films such as Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Devdas and documentaries such as The Story of Gitanjali,about Rabindranath Tagores Nobel Award-winning book.

Among the titles that readers can pick up for free are the Korean translations of Rabindranath Tagores Holidays Have Come and Ruskin Bonds Animals You cant Forget.

An interesting element is the launch of Sriratna & Kim Suro: The Legend of an Indian Princess in Korea,a graphic novel by N Parthasarathi,former ambassador of India to South Korea. The novel follows the legend of Ayodhya princess Sriratna,who married Korean king Kim Suro and laid the foundation of the Gaya kingdom in Korea in 48 AD.

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