Kolkata: After a gap of one year, Kolkata is hosting the annual international book fair again this year, bringing cheers to the book enthusiasts. The West Bengal capital could not hold the popular event last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the 45th International Kolkata Book Fair (IKBF) on Monday.
This year, the Kolkata Book Fair has Bangladesh as the theme country as it enters its 50th year of its liberation from Pakistan.
"You (Bangladesh) have Nazrul (Islam) and we have Rabindranath Tagore as our national poets. But they cannot be divided by any Partition," Banerjee said on the occasion.
She also paid tribute to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, considered the founding father of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Minister of Cultural Affairs KM Khalid was present on the occasion, and he thanked the book fair authorities for focusing on his country on its special year.
She also urged the book fair authorities to take a pledge for world peace during the event as a tribute to the victims of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Incidentally, Russia has also put up a stall at the book fair.
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No Protest Outside Russian Stall: CM
The fair has stalls of different publishers, organisations, political parties and other countries.
Banerjee inaugurated the stall of Trinamool Congress mouthpiece Jaago Bangla, and also those of the Kolkata Police and the state police. At least 10 of her books are on sale at the fair, according to reports.
Apart from Bangladesh, the countries that have put up their stalls at the book fair include Britain, USA, Italy, Japan, Iran, Spain, Argentina, Mexico and Russia.
In the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, CM Banerjee said no one should stage a protest in front of the Russian stall. She said India believes in peace, and “we need to maintain our country’s dignity”.
She said she has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting that India broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
“We are with the efforts being made to bring back Indians stranded in Ukraine. Our stand against war is clear,” she said.
About the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Banerjee said India wants peace and should lead the efforts to end this war.
“We have seen two years of war against Covid. There should be no more wars. The world should see peace now,” she said.
Kolkata Book Fair To Continue In Salt Lake
Meanwhile, with Milan Mela, the permanent fairground in Kolkata, still under renovation, the Kolkata Book Fair will continue at the Mela Grounds in Central Park, Salt Lake. Banerjee proposed that the venue be renamed as “Boi Mela Prangan (Book fairground)”.
She expressed happiness that the IKBF 2022 has received recognition from the International Publishers Association, Geneva, as the event has been incorporated in the calendar of book fairs published by it.
The Kolkata book fair will continue till March 13.