Chief Minister M.K. Stalin inaugurated the 45 th Chennai Book Fair here on Wednesday and presented awards to authors and publishers. Mr. Stalin also announced that he will release the first part of his autobiography by the end of February.
Speaking at the inaugural, Mr. Stalin said just like in Chennai, the Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India (BAPASI) had been conducting a book fair in Madurai for 14 years and in Coimbatore for four years. “Our government will make efforts to provide assistance through the district administrations to hold such book fairs in all the districts of the State,” the Chief Minister said.
Similar to the Anna Centenary Library in Chennai, a library named after former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi was being set up in Madurai at a cost of ₹114 crore, and work on the project had begun, he said.
Mr. Stalin presented the Kalaignar Karunanidhi Porkizhi Award to journalist and author Samas, Prasanna Ramaswamy, Aasai Thambi, R. Vennila, Paul Zachariah and Meena Kandasamy. He also presented BAPASI Awards to Meenakshi Somasundaram, Ravi Thamizhvanan, Ponnazaghu, Thiruvai Babu, Devira and Bharathi Baskar.
Mr. Stalin also said he had penned an autobiography titled ‘Ungalil Oruvan’ [One among you]. The first part of the autobiography will be released at the end of February, he said. The Chief Minister said the book will delve into his childhood, school and college days, interest in politics, his first public meeting, films, marriage and life during MISA times. “I have written about my life till 1976 in the first part. It will soon come to book fairs as well,” he said.
