TEHRAN-The 35th Tehran International Book Fair (TIBF) will create a suitable opportunity for the Iranian society to get familiar with Indian literature, Yasser Ahmadvand, the fair director has said.

He made the remarks in a meeting with the Indian ambassador to Tehran Rudra Gaurav Shresth on Tuesday, ISNA reported.

“We are eager for the presence of Indian writers and cultural figures in Iran so that contemporary Indian literature can be better introduced to the literary community of Iran,” he added.

This year’s edition of the TIBF is due to be held from May 8 to 18 at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla (prayer ground) in central Tehran with India as the special guest.

“Proposals for the translation of a number of Indian works into Persian have been presented to us and we are currently examining them. We will also offer suggestions for translating Iranian works into Hindi,” Ahmadvand noted. “We hope that in addition to the official pavilion of India at the fair, Indian publishers will also take part in the international section of the fair as Iranian people are interested in getting to know about Indian publications”.

He expressed hope that with the assistance and cooperation of cultural activists of Iran and India, cultural communication between the two countries would grow.

For his part, the Indian ambassador stated that there was no limit to increasing the capacity of cultural activities between Iran and India and said: “There are thousands of years of interactions between Iran and India and we can see its impact in Indian culture from clothes to food. In other words, a shadow of the influence of Iranian culture on Indian culture can be seen. Most Indians' image of Iran is an aesthetic image of architecture, poetry, literature, etc. of this country. This influence is always seen in the development of Indian civilization. In India, the Persian language is considered among the 9 classical languages ​​of the country and we do not consider it a foreign language”.

Regarding the presence of India as the special guest in the upcoming edition of the Tehran International Book Fair, Shresth said: “We should not miss this opportunity as the young generation is less aware of the strong connection between the two countries. Attending the book fair will guarantee cultural communication in the future.

“We are very excited to participate in the fair as a special guest. India is Iran's brother in the field of literature and this cultural relationship should be conveyed to the people of the two countries,” he added.

Based on a cultural memorandum of understanding signed between the officials of the Tehran International Book Fair and the New Delhi World Book Fair earlier this year, Iran will also serve as a special guest at the New Delhi International Book Fair in 2025.

Referring to the programs proposed by the Indian pavilion during the 35th TIBF, Shresth said: “We will select a number of classic books from Iranian and Indian authors and publishers for translation and unveil them during Iran's presence at the New Delhi World Book Fair. Iranian writers can also attend the book fair in New Delhi and interact with Indian authors and publishers. Indian people are familiar with Hafez, Rumi, Saadi, etc., but they do not know much about the works of contemporary Iranian writers”.

In the end, Shrestth said: “I hope the presence of Iran and India in the book exhibitions of the two countries will bring about good results in the field of cultural interactions. We are looking forward to Iran's presence in the next edition of the New Delhi World Book Fair and I hope this presence will lead to the reproduction of the existing interest in literature in both countries”.

Being Iran’s major trade fair for books, the TIBF has been turned into a landmark, momentous book fair in West Asia after 34 editions in a row. Millions of visitors inspect the fair every year, including thousands of university students, scholars, and their families.

The cultural event currently serves as the most significant cultural event in Iran. On average 2,500 domestic and 600 foreign publishers participate in the landmark event. The foreign publishers substantially offer their materials in English or Arabic however titles in French, German, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese are also available.

Photo: Indian ambassador to Tehran Rudra Gaurav Shresth (L) and director of TIBF Yasser Ahmadvand

SS/