Bangalore Book festival, in its eighth edition, the second largest in the country, after Kolkata, kicked off last weekend at Palace Grounds. The festival is on till November 21^st.

As usual there are stalls of major book stores and publishers like Sapna, Navneet, and Higginbothams.  British library, Britannica encyclopedia, and Times Group too have their stalls. Engineering, medical, photography, architecture or interior designing, there is something for everyone.

Bangalore Book Fair 2010. Pic: Usha Hariprasad.

There are a few unusual stalls – take a look at some of these offbeat attractions.

For lovers of history and philosophy

The Center for Studies in Civilization from Delhi is showcasing some unique books like “Science and Spirituality”,  “Yoga and science”, “Understanding Human past”, “Mathematics, Astronomy and Biology in Indian Tradition” etc. So if you are interested you can check out their list of publications and order directly for the books you want.

If history fascinates you, take a look at the Asian Education society (AES) stall. Books on coins, Pallava architecture, Rajasthan history and history of Mysore will leave you spell bounded. That’s not all. You will find some rare dictionaries of Tulu, Konkani (Dakshina Kannada’s local languages), and Sanskrit to English dictionary.

Vedic studies

There are plenty of stalls where translations of Vedas, Upanishads, and Bhagavad-Gita are available. Stalls by Ramakrishna Mutt, ISKCON, and Krishnamurthy Foundation offer wonderful books related to spirituality.

Some of the stalls like Ved Mandir from Himachal Pradesh have set up their stall here for the first time.  If you are interested in learning about the Hindu rituals, their significance in your life and the power of vedic mantras then you must take a look at these stalls.

Kannada AbhiMani galige

There are 94 stalls by Kannada publishers like Akshara Prakashana, Abhinava, Leher recording company, Total Kannada. They have showcased some wonderful Kannada books and music. Books such as “Himalayan Blunder” by Ravi Belegere, “America Gandhi”, books by Anantha Murthy are available. For music lovers, there are plenty of Bhava Geete or light music CDs from Leher and over 2800 films and more than 500 songs at Total Kannada.com.

Holistic healing

Books on Pyramid healing, Pranic healing, Reiki and Hypnosis are available. If you are interested in alternative healing then take a look at stalls of Ringo Chikitsa Nilaya and Karnataka Pyramid Dhyaana Publications.

Quran the holy book

The 6-stall Salaam Centre has Quran in 25 foreign languages including Spanish, Vietnamese and French and in 7 Indian languages.

Self improvement

Whether it is the need for better communication skills or lack of confidence, there are books to help you. Books to relieve stress and depression, books on losing weight, improving English are available in stalls such as RMM publications and Times Group.

For your children

Want to prepare your child for the Olympiads? Then there is an entire stall dedicated for course materials and exam papers of such competitive exams. 

Or if you wish to develop your child’s interest in science, check out iKenscientifica. This center has developed many scientific models for better understanding of physics, mechanics, electronics and chemistry topics.  Workshops are also conducted for children studying from 4^th -9^th standard to develop science projects.

There is also India’s first CD magazine for kids called e-Balak. With a fee of 100 rupees per month, this CD helps your children appreciate science and maths.

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Call it medicine for the soul or windows to the world, books have always been a perfect companion for tired souls. And book fairs such as these have always been a refreshing experience for a book lovers.

The festival is on till 21 November. It is open to the public from 11 am to 9 pm. Entry fee is Rs 20. School and college students, can gain free entry by showing their ID cards. ⊕