Kolkata Book Fair postponed

Kolkata: The 45th edition of International Kolkata Book Fair (IKBF) has been postponed due to the pandemic situation across the globe.

The IKBF 2021 was scheduled to be held from January 27 to February 7. However, discussion is on to decide when the fair can be arranged following Covid protocols.

According to Tridib Chatterjee of the Publishers' and BookSellers Guild, as several countries are again imposing lockdown, publishers from such nations cannot attend the fair. Book fairs in London, Paris and the USA have also been postponed due to the pandemic.

The guild members are worried as the publishers will have to allow people to touch the books. Sources informed that soon the guild will again meet and decide about how the protocols can be followed if the fair takes place amid the pandemic.

In view of the present situation, guild members have been discussing how the fair can be arranged for the past few months. Initially, it has been decided to postpone the fair, but guild members are keeping a tab on the situation. As soon as everything settles, the new date will be announced after discussing with the International Publishers Association (IPA).