Live with Indian Publisher Mr. Sukumar Das

Anchor:If you like to sit down and have a good old read you may already know about The Beijing International Book Fair which has been running for the last few days in the Capital. The fair has been running since 1986 and over the years has attracted thousands of visitors.

There are more than 160,000 titles on display, representeding 2,000 publishers, nearly half of them from overseas.

Every year a particular country is highlighted and this year it is India, marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Joining me now is Mr. Sukumar Das, managing director of NCBA Exports Pvt. Ltd. based in India.

Good morning Mr. Sukumar Das.

1. As a foreign publisher, why did you decide to take part in the Beijing International Book Fair?

Well, Beijing International Book fair is an important book fair. We have been participating earlier also. There should be people-to-people contact between the two countries so that the friendship grows. And we would like to establish it through the medium of the printed word.

2. India is the country of Honor this year. Would this affect publications in China or general awareness of your country?

Yes, I think it is from awareness and we would like to increase the awareness much more and that is why we have come here in large number and we have been exporting our books in China.

3. I know you are a regular visitor to the Beijing International Book Fair (he has joined in the Book fair since 1993)– have you noticed any changes over the years?

Yes, many changes. I mean we find that China has grown and China has modernized and even in the publishing field, they are doing very well. The titles are much better now, well produced. They match the international standard. And we feel this is a market where we can also come and pick our share. I would also like to add that business can not be one-sided, and we would also like to see that the Chinese outsiders and others should contribute to Indian book industry, which means that they should also…we would like to translate the books of Chinese authors and we would also like to cooperate with them.