Fri Jan 17 01:52:41 UTC 2025: ## Chennai Book Fair Expects 1,000 MOUs, Celebrates Growth of Tamil Literature

**Chennai, January 17, 2025** – The Chennai International Book Fair (CIBF) 2025 opened Thursday with high expectations. School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi announced that the fair, now in its third year, anticipates the signing of 1,000 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), exceeding the 750 signed last year and the initial 355 in its inaugural year. This year’s fair boasts participation from 64 countries, a significant increase from the 24 and 40 participating countries in the previous years.

The Minister highlighted several initiatives driving the internationalization of Tamil literature, including the Tamil Nadu Translation Grant, which will fund the translation of 166 Tamil books into 32 languages. He also lauded the CIBF Fellowship and Literary Agent Program, which has trained 35 individuals to promote Tamil literature globally. The “Rights Hub” at the fair is facilitating connections between publishers and buyers worldwide.

The Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Italy, served as the guest of honor. Jacks Thomas, Guest Director of Bologna Book Book Plus, Italy, emphasized the importance of the Translation Grants Programme in bringing Tamil literature to an international audience and vice versa. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin is expected to release the 30 books translated through this program.

While celebrating the fair’s success, T. Sankara Saravanan, joint director (translations) of the Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation, acknowledged a challenge: finding qualified translators to translate Tamil works into English. He noted that the translation process takes approximately 24 months. Despite this, he expressed confidence that the CIBF is rapidly becoming a globally significant event, competing with the world’s top five book fairs.

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