About 2.5L bibliophiles visit book fair on Saraswati Puja

KOLKATA: Nearly 2.5 lakh bibliophiles visited the 49th International Kolkata Book Fair on Friday, which coincided with Saraswati Puja and Netaji Jayanti.

It was the first holiday after the book fair was inaugurated. Sudhangshu Sekhar Dey, president, Publishers & Booksellers Guild, spoke about the Saraswati Puja celebrations at the fair, held at the Jago Bangla stall. “We are happy with the footfall. Book lovers are coming and buying books. Authors like Anjan Dutta have also been signing books,” he said.

Anusmita Ganguly, draped in a beautiful yellow saree, was seen browsing through books by Orhan Pamuk. She was accompanied by her fiance, Raktim Majumdar.

With Saraswati Puja being observed on Friday, the book fair turned yellow. From men in yellow punjabis and pullovers to women in yellow ensembles, it appeared that bibliophiles across the fair had followed an unwritten dress code for the day. “This couldn’t have been better. Buying books at the book fair is the best way to show reverence to Goddess Saraswati,” said Ankit Chakraborty, an MNC employee.

Friday was an eventful day at the book fair. From Dutta releasing his autobiography ‘Anjan Niye’ to ministers Sujit Bose and Dr Shashi Panja inaugurating various stalls, including those of the Fire Department and the West Bengal Commission for Women, the day saw a series of activities. Dutta has chosen his seventy-second year to pen his long-awaited autobiography, ‘Anjan Niye’. Published by Dey’s Publishing, the book chronicles his journey as a singer, songwriter, actor,

and director.

The day also featured a gathering of poets, group performances by students of Rabindra Bharati University, discussions on Netaji to mark his birth anniversary, and a programme of old

Bengali songs.