New Delhi: It is the much-awaited time of the year as the City of Joy gears up for one of the biggest events for all book lovers, authors, budding writers, musicians and foodies alike. This is none other than The Kolkata International Book Fair. This year the book fair commenced on January 31 and will be going on till February 12, at the Central Park Mela ground, Salt Lake, Kolkata.
This grand event not just welcomes writers from Kolkata, but also opens its arms to greet writers and book lovers from all across the world. The year 2023 marks the 46th year of this fair which was inaugurated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee along with Mara José Gálvez Salvador, from the Spanish Ministry of Culture and Sports on January 30, 2023.
Like every year, this year too Kolkata Book Fair has a focal theme on which the event is based. For its 46th edition, this year, the theme is Spain. The Book Fair is organized by PUBLISHERS & BOOKSELLERS GUILD. Tridib Kumar Chatterjee, the General Secretary of the organization spoke about this year's fair with ABP Live. He also shared the reason behind choosing Spain as the focal theme and also gave some tidbits about the various events that are going to take place each day.
Speaking to ABP Live, Mr. Tridib Chatterjee said, "There are some countries who have a similarity in their literature, culture, and tradition with that of Bengal and are thus chosen as theme countries. For the same reason, Spain has been chosen as the theme country this year and it was the theme country in 2006 as well."
Further speaking, he said, "When we think of Spain, we remember notable people like Dali and Lorca, we also associate the country with the game of football, and we relate to Spain with movies as well. These are all the things that Bengalis connect to, be it through culture, literature or sports. Additionally, there are so many famous people who have hailed from Spain and they continue to inspire us even today. So, whenever Spain or any Latin American country is chosen as the theme country, people seem to be all the more enthusiastic about the fair."
Talking about the day-to-day events, he also went on to say, "There are some or the other special day celebrated throughout the event like February 4 was celebrated as Bangladesh Day, and February 5 has been celebrated as Children's Day. On children's day, we have provided books and chocolates to the poor and the downtrodden children."
Additionally, they will also be celebrating Spanish Day on February 7 and from February 9 to 11, Kolkata Literature Festival will take place, where eminent authors, poets and celebrities from all across the world, will gather to mark the event.
Books, Books And Books:
Kolkata Book Fair is no less than a paradise for all those who love to read. There are numerous stalls lined up, stacked with books. From global publishers to national and local publishers, you will find them all. The stalls are all crammed with people, each hunting for their favourite books while some others waiting to get a signed copy from their favourite authors. From Penguin Publishers to Oxford, Katha-o-Kahini, Bloomberg and so many more, it is indeed a treat to the eyes to see stacks of books with all kinds of colourful covers lined up in the stalls.
Mr. Pinaki Sarkar from Penguin Publishers shared his experience with ABP Live regarding Kolkata Book Fair. He said, "Penguin has been participating in this event for the last 35 years and it's our privilege to welcome our visitors and the readers to our stall and we are doing it quite professionally for such a long time."
Speaking about any special book launches he said, "We bring up a lot of books every year and Penguin India is publishing more than 250 titles every year. Apart from these, we are also launching international titles also. We have books in every genre, but mostly we are selling non-fiction titles at book fairs as the sale of fiction has dropped during the past few years as the taste of the audience has changed. "
He further went on to say, "This year the organization has reduced the size of our stall and we did not get the sizeable stall that we used to get in the previous years, which is why we are not being able to arrange our stock properly."
In addition to the works of renowned writers, the book fair also witnesses the book launches of some budding writers. Literature enthusiasts get published and launch their first-ever books at this huge festival. One such writer is Prajjal Paul who launched his first novel at the Book Fair.
Speaking about his book, he told ABP Live, "The story revolves around an imaginary country, where a young girl who does not have much knowledge about history and civilization, falls prey to unfavourable circumstances. Despite being a fashion blogger, she gets involved in the civil war that is going on in her country and thereby discovers the hidden stories of war. The young girl gradually unfurls the reason behind the separation of countries and discovers the brutality of war and how it affects the ordinary folk."
Talking about his inspiration behind writing the story, Paul shared, "Initially, I got the idea from 'The Diary Of A Young Girl' by Anne Frank and then from a South Korean pop star." Paul, being a teacher professionally, says that his profession has helped him a lot in writing the story. He said, "Since I am a teacher, it is easier for me to understand the psyche of a student and the way they think and figure out a situation, as the protagonist in my story is a student of class 11."
Food, Music And So Much More:
Literature, art, music, food and culture- Kolkata Book Fair is one place where you will find it all. With long lines in front of book stalls, the food stalls are also no less attractive. From snacks to meals and desserts, the gastronomical extravaganza is also at its peak. But, then again, what is a book fair without music!
Popular band 'Moheen Ekhon o Bondhura' was there at the Kolkata Book Fair on February 4 for the launch of their book, titled 'Reincarnation Of The Dark Stallion- Journey Of An Unsung Legend', written by Rishita Dey, which is a biography of the musical maestro Tapas Bapi Das. In addition to the book launch, the band performed on stage but at the same time missed their beloved Bapi Da, who had to be hospitalized that very day.
The band created magic at the fair and the audience too sang along with them. They were also joined by children belonging to the group- Kids On The Rock. The popular songs sung by Suman Mickey Chatterjee, accompanied by Arunim Das Purkayastha on the violin, Prasenjit Ray at the keyboard, Sudip Nag and Pramit Roy on the guitar and Souvik Ghosal on the Cajon resonated at the grounds amidst claps and cheers from the audience.