Bangladesh absent from Kolkata International Book Fair again

The 49th Kolkata International Book Fair will begin on 22 January. The fair will be held at the Central Park fairground in Salt Lake and will continue until 3 February. As in previous years, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will inaugurate the fair. This year’s focal theme country is Argentina.

At a press conference organised on Monday (12 January), the organisers announced that there will be no Bangladeshi stalls at this year’s book fair. Bangladesh also did not participate last year. Although Bangladesh had been participating regularly in the Kolkata Book Fair since 1996, it will remain absent for the second consecutive year due to the current political situation.

The organisers further said that renowned Argentine writer Gustavo Cansobre will be present at the inaugural ceremony. More than 1,000 stalls will be set up at this year’s book fair, with participation from over 20 countries. In addition, a special literature festival will be held on 25 and 26 January.

A total of nine arches will be constructed at the fair venue. Of these, two will be designed in the architectural style of Argentina. Two arches will be named after late writers Prafulla Roy and Pratul Mukhopadhyay. Another arch will be dedicated to writer Shailajananda Mukhopadhyay on the occasion of his 125th birth anniversary.

To facilitate visitors’ movement, special metro booths will be operated at the fairground, where tickets can be purchased through UPI. Metro services will run until 10 pm on fair days, and the facility will also be available on holidays.

The organisers also said that visitors will have access to a digital map of the fair, stall-search facilities, and a virtual tour of the book fair through an app and QR codes.