The government must take pro-active steps for a library movement
Unless part of the book trade, most readers would not yet have heard of the upcoming Goa Book Festival 2026. To be held from February 4–8, it promises to celebrate “the written word in the land of sun, sand, and stories” and to connect with over 10,000 literature enthusiasts. It is being organised by the National Book Trust (NBT) and the new Lokmanya Cultural Foundation.
NBT, the 1957-founded autonomous organisation, has as its goal promotion of “reading and the book culture”. It was to hold an exhibition in Goa in 2012, but that was cancelled at the last moment. It has also held Konkani translation workshops and publishing training way back in 2005 and 2012. But even as bibliophiles, readers and the general public await to see how this 2026 event goes, one cannot but underline the ‘missing links’ needed to ensure Goa, the home to the first printing press in Asia, somehow manages to take things to higher levels on this front.
To attain this, some roadblocks need to be overcome. Goa’s book culture carries a long, proud memory but lives in a small and limited present. The most obvious challenge is scale. Our tiny reading public is split across multiple languages — English, Konkani, Marathi and even a little Portuguese — each of which has its own histories, scripts and audiences. Few titles can cross these boundaries. Then there is also modest purchasing power, limited library budgets, weak distribution beyond Panaji and Margao, and the absence of a strong review culture. Thus, it is not surprising that many books vanish quietly soon after publication. For younger readers especially, screens, streaming and social media crowd out slow reading. At the same time, schools and colleges rarely integrate contemporary Goan writing into syllabi in ways that create curiosity rather than obligation. There are also deeper structural and cultural issues. Publishing in Goa has often been shaped by politics, patronage or identity debates. Independent bookshops struggle to survive, writers lack sustained editorial support, and book events tend to be episodic or festivals rather than year-round ecosystems. Diaspora connections exist but are underused. Translations between Goan languages rarely happen; as a result, readers remain in linguistic silos.
So, what could be the way forward? One starting point is libraries. Public and school libraries need steady funding, longer opening hours, trained librarians, and a mandate to stock contemporary Goan writing. The Goa library policy is yet to be implemented. Reading lists in schools and colleges can deliberately include living Goan authors, translators and publishers. Small but regular grants for translations between Konkani, Marathi, English and Portuguese would let ideas travel across linguistic boundaries. Bookshops could benefit from low-rent spaces, tax relief and support for distribution beyond urban centres. Year-round reading groups, writers-in-residence in colleges, village-level book clubs, and partnerships with panchayats can make books relevant to the average citizen. Community publishing projects, podcasts and low-cost print editions could help. Knowledge needs to speak to farmers, fishermen, activists and students alike. A book culture depends on many quarters. Authors matter, but they need readers too. Readers give books meaning by choosing them, discussing them, disagreeing with them and passing them on. Librarians sit at a crucial point. They are curators, guides and long-term custodians of the printed work, allowing readers to encounter books they might never buy. Teachers, publishers, editors, booksellers, translators, reviewers and cultural institutions form the links which should not be overlooked. All are necessary, but none is sufficient alone.
