KOLKATA: College Street is every book lover’s paradise and what better can be to have a book fest at the ‘boi para’ of Kolkata.
Organised by the Publishers and Booksellers Guild along with KMC, the Boiparay Boi Utsab was inaugurated on Tuesday at the College Square Ground (Vidyasagar Udyan). To continue till April 7, this book fest will remain open daily from 3 pm to 8 pm with more than 55 stalls and 70 publishers in participation.
The festival was inaugurated by eminent Bengali author Sanjib Chattopadhyay, alongside Debashish Kumar, Member, Mayor-in-Council, KMC; celebrated poets and writers Joy Goswami, Srijato Bandyopadhyay, Subodh Sarkar, Tridib Kr Chatterjee, President, Guild; and Sudhangshu Sekhar Dey, Honorary General
Secretary, Guild.
Chattopadhyay referred to the fest as ‘Boi Parbon’ because, much like the fair itself, a book festival often involves extensive planning and meticulous arrangements. Interestingly, the Boiparay Boi Utsab was started in 2013 at the behest of the West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee.
Initially launched as the Nababorsho Boi Utsab, it was later shifted to spring and renamed Basanta Boi Utsab to avoid the extreme summer heat. However, as the event coincided with the International Kolkata Book Fair, another adjustment was made and finally, it is now being held in the month of April.
Poet Srijato reminisced about how his parents received a ‘Geetabitan’ as a wedding gift. For years, he was given books by his friends and relatives. “However, in the past one or two decades, we’ve become hesitant to gift books on special occasions. But we should take pride in giving something that will never leave them. Let’s make a conscious effort to give books more often,” he said.