People, under the effect of Anna-mania are thronging the fair and picking up Anna's biography to know more about the man, who has been crowned the modern day Gandhi.
Ashok Gosain of Har Anand Publication Pvt Ltd said that their publication, "Lokpal – Facts and Arguments" has garnered a good response from visitors. "Though there is less of a crowd this time, but those who are coming are showing keen interest in books related to Anna, especially Lokpal. They want to know the full story," said Gosain.
The scene is no different at Sandeep Publishers and Distributors. Anna's biography that's available at their stall has an added four-page insertion in bright yellow colour, updating the readers about Anna's movement from August 16 – August 27. "Our book "Loknayak Anna Hazare – Jan Lokpal Bill" is our bestseller till now. Since the price is also reasonable (`90), it's flying off the shelves," Sandeep said. When asked what apart from Anna's biography is garnering readers' interest, Sandeep said, "People usually buy a lot of Premchand books. Be it his short stories or collected works. But this year, Anna's biography is dominating Premchand."
Vikas Diguel of Saraswati House, who has set up a stall at the fair is selling Anna books from both his own publication and the ones published by Diamond Pocket Books. "The response to Anna's biography is superb – both in English and Hindi. The biography in English is titled "Anna Hazare: The New Revolutionary", while the one in Hindi is titled "Krantidoot: Anna Hazare". We have sold a significant amount of copies since Day 1," said Vikas. They have even decorated their stall with a huge picture of Anna Hazare and the India Against Corruption logo at their cash counter.
"Even in the contemporary times, people love reading Premchand's novels. Every year, we have a huge demand for his novels and plays. This year too, people are buying Premchand, with "The Great Stories of Munshi Premchand' being the bestseller. You can say that Anna's biography is dominating Premchand's collection but the interest in Anna's biography is because of the movement, and Premchand's been a favourite for years and years," said a salesman at Vishv Book.