36TH ANNUAL GENERAL CONFERENCE HELD ON
26 SEPTEMBER 2009 AT TAJ PALACE HOTEL, NEW DELHI

The 36th Annual General Conference of the Federation of Indian Publishers was held on 26 September 2009 at Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi . Shri Tejendra Khanna, Hon'ble Lt. Governor of Delhi , who was the Chief Guest, inaugurated the Conference. Shri Kedar Nath Sahni, former Governor of Goa and Sikkim was the Guest of Honour.

In his welcome address, Shri R.C. Govil, President, FIP, briefly outlined the activities of the Federation and said that over a span of the last 37 years, the Federation has become the national representative body of the book industry in India and is growing from strength to strength. Internationally also, the Federation has played a significant role and we are now respected as a great publishing nation all over the world.

The Federation, in collaboration with the India Trade Promotion Organisation, organised the 15th Delhi Book Fair with remarkable success. The Federation also gave Awards for Excellence in Book Production during the Delhi Book Fair. A special Panel Discussion on Ban on Shri Jaswant Singh's Book ‘JINNAH: INDIA – PARTITION – INDEPENDENCE ' with distinguished personalities as Panelists was also organised by the Federation during the Fair.

Shri Govil said we have tried to strengthen the base of FIP so that the voice of the Federation becomes more loud and effective. For this, the Federation has been organizing National Conventions of Indian Publishers in different parts of the country with a view to bring together publishers of various Indian languages at one platform and discuss the problems and issues affecting them in a united manner.

With the Federation's initiative, India was accorded the Guest of Honour country status at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2006 and at the Paris Book Fair in 2007. India was also offered the Primary Partnership for Market Focus at the London Book Fair in 2009. India has now been offered the Guest of Honour status at the Turin International Book Fair ( Italy ) in 2010. It is heartening that our books not only in English but also in other languages are being translated into various foreign languages. Our university level books have also been adopted in various foreign universities.

Shri Govil said the library movement in the country is in a bad shape and there is an urgent need to start a new library movement and strengthen the entire library network and for this we have advocated that sufficient funds should be made available to the libraries and special grants allocated for the purchase of books published in India and written by Indian authors for the libraries.

The Federation presented various problems concerning the publishing industry before the Minister of Human Resource Development. The discussions were quite useful and now the Government has constituted a ‘National Book Promotion Council' which was one of our main demands. We are sure if it functions properly and meets at regular intervals, most of the publishing problems will be solved.

Indian publishing is on the threshold of a great revolution. The FIP along with the International Publishers Association (IPA) has always advocated Freedom to Publish. The IPA has called on the international community and the Governments to take action against the growing curtailment of Freedom to Publish and Freedom of Expression. The International Publishers Association together with the national associations of its publisher-members all over the world has also introduced an annual Freedom to Publish Prize.

Shri Govil said apart from the professional activities of publishers, our aim has been to make India a ‘Book Reading Society'. It is heartening that our literacy rate has gone up to 68% which gives us a very great number of literate public. One thing which not only the publishers but also the authors community and book-lovers of India feel concerned is that our books do not reach the rural areas. The only way to make books reach them is by post. But, we are afraid, the postal rates for books have only very negligible concession. The postal rates for sending books should be made just minimal. If this one problem is solved, the reading public will increase manifold immediately.

Shri Govil said New Delhi , the Capital of India and the seat of administration of the Delhi State Government, is the hub of Indian publishing but it does not have a proper place for showcasing the books and publications published in all Indian languages and English. We have made requests to the Government of NCT of Delhi for allotment of land for building a Book Market at a suitable central place for this fast growing industry. In Kolkata, the Government of West Bengal has agreed to convert the book market at College Road into a Book Mall which has already started functioning. Shri Govil requesed the Lt. Governor that the Government of Delhi State consider allotting some land to FIP, which is the apex body of publishers, at a central place like Baba Kharak Singh Marg, where there are a number of emporia promoting the culture of each state, for developing a Book Mall.

Shri Govil said Indian publishers are gradually coming into the mainstream of country's trade and commerce. India is a self-sufficient nation with regard to publishing of books and perhaps the only one among the developing nations in the world. In 1980-81, the export of books and magazines was worth Rs.8 crores which has now gone upto 1100 crores. The target for the next year is Rs.1500 crores.

We have come a long way since the establishment of FIP but much has still to be done to take the Indian Publishing forward to the top position globally and its being able to play an important role to take our society forward.

Shri D.N. Malhotra, President Emeritus, FIP, in his address said every person in society has some responsibility towards his co-citizens. Many of them perform but some do not. But, so far as publishers are concerned, they have a greater responsibility as well as an opportunity to discharge their social commitment.

Some people think, and many times publishers also think, that their job is to get a manuscript from an author and print, publish and organise the sale, in the process giving royalty to authors and saving their own profit margin. So far as the nature of work is concerned, this may seem alright; but those who understand the social responsibility, they have to do similar things but in a different manner. This applies to the role of publishers, though they have to publish books as the manuscripts are brought to them by authors, or in case of text books publishers approach the right authors and teachers to write books and get them ready to become text books for schools and colleges. In the general books, half the work of general publishers lies in publishing those manuscripts which are brought to them by authors. They check them, assess their saleability and publish them. But, then in case of these publishers also they have a responsibility to assess the needs of the society and get such books written from suitable authors which will serve the cause of society at a particular time and social milieu.

The better class of publishers have to be pro-active and provide books to the society not only what they want but also from the larger social point of view which should be given to society.

There are publishers, though possibly in minority, who perform this role in a conscientious manner. They have to be thinkers and accept their responsibility towards social progress. Responsibility always lies on those who understand it and undertake it with a sense of social commitment.

Today, our society is passing through crucial times when big changes are taking place in every walk of life. We have risen from a feudal society and have become a modern one working its goals in competition and comparison with other great nations. How much and how far we are discharging this responsibility is to be examined, though on the one hand we stand in the front line as a great industrial country but in certain other spheres, specially in the rural and urban areas, there is much which has to be done.

Though our Government has made great efforts to reach the rural areas and the mass of people, but we find that the advantages of Government statistics and flow of funds from the Planning Commission do not reach the poor rural population. Everyone knows that the crucial reason for our plans and plan funds not reaching the poor people is the corruption at high places and that corruption practice goes right up to the smaller people and rural areas.

As the things are, we cannot change it with a magic wand that people should behave in a responsible manner. But here I think so far as the profession of publishing is concerned, we have an important role to play. Publishers are the channel from where better ideas and better culture can be spread by publishing good books and making them reach over large areas. A large number of publishers do understand their social responsibility but their efforts are circumscribed by not making their books reach the vast areas of our country, whether rural or hilly areas, where there are no book shops. The only way to reach them is to send books by post but, unfortunately, the postal rates for books, though designated as special concessional postal rates, do not match with the declared objectives of the country. The postal rates are prohibitive and that is a deterrent. The books should be made completely free of postal charges.

Shri Malhotra said the social responsibility of the people can be discharged only if the Government is aware of their duties to see to it that the books do reach people all over the country in cities and towns and in the same way they should reach the village population spread all over the country. The social responsibility devolves not just on the people but on the Government also which today is concerned about their social requirements in this particular area, which is crucial because it is through books that spread of knowledge takes place and the level of entire population raised. The empowerment of the people may be made if they have access to the reading material of their own choice. This is basically the responsibility of the Government and the legislators to sort out this problem and see what they can do. We are a welfare State in which reading and writing has to be encouraged. The social responsibility devolves both on the Government and the people of the country.

Shri Kedar Nath Sahni, Guest of Honour, asserted that the values and morals to become a good human being were being inculcated mostly by books and the publishers have made a great contribution in this. Although there are some hurdles but the publishers have to find their solutions themselves or seek help from those who can help, even the Government and the Lt. Governor. He said publishers have published books in different languages of the country and also translated them and brought them to the people. Books have a permanent effect and, therefore, the publishers should bring out the best literature which can help in the body languages of the society. He said the Indian publishers have made a name in the world and conveyed his good wishes and hoped that their problems can be solved.

Shri Tejendra Khanna, Lt. Governor of Delhi , strongly endorsed the points made by Shri D.N. Malhotra and Shri R.C. Govil. He said whatever we do as a nation should help to achieve the objectives that we have set for ourselves. He did not think anything was taking us either upwards or taking us downwards. He said the world has now come to change its perception about India and now there is generally a very high level of respect which the Indians have begun to command partly because of the IT revolution and partly because of our great successes in the space research like the Chandrayan Project or water on the moon. The world is expecting India to play a more meaningful role in the 21 st century and be the next major global super power, he added.

Noting that publishers have a greater responsibility to discharge their social commitment, he said all kinds of books are being published today with all sorts of text and pictures. It is taken for granted that it is up to the readers to decide what is good or bad for them and this fact creates a greater problem. He said the reading habit is extremely important and parents should try to spend more and more time with their children so that right from their childhood they can be successful in inculcating the reading habit in them. Emphasising the importance of books, he said reading books is the best way to enhance one's creativity. He laid down four important issues that he felt should be catered most by the publishing community. Interfaith harmony, tolerance of diversity, good citizenship and sustainability are four most important concerns, among others, on which maximum books should be published.

Referring to the FIP's proposal for allocation of land for a Book Mall in the capital, he assured his full support and said that the Delhi Government would consider this proposal as it would help in inculcating the reading habit among the people, particularly the children. He said the Delhi Government would also work towards solving the problems of publishers such as postal charges on books.

The function was attended, among others, by leading luminaries from all walks of life including publishers, authors, academicians, educationists and the media.

An Exhibition of books selected for Awards for Excellence in Book Production 2009 was also mounted in the Hall on this occasion.