Amid roll revision, CM’s book on SIR is a favourite at book fair

KOLKATA: Ever since SIR began in Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has repeatedly highlighted in her speeches that people in the state are dying by suicide due to anxiety surrounding the exercise. She has held the ECI and Centre responsible for these deaths.

Now, her book on the issue, ‘SIR - 26 e 26’, is selling in good numbers at the 49th International Kolkata Book Fair.

At the inauguration of this year’s edition of the fair, Banerjee said she has authored 153 books so far. With the launch of nine new titles in both English and Bengali at the event, that number has now risen to 162. The newly released books include ‘SIR - 26 e 26’, ‘Amar Rail Bela’, Mother Nature of Bengal: Rhymes and Reflections, ‘Amader Para Amader Samadhan’, ‘Kotha Bhandar’ and In Service of the People. At the Jago Bangla stall, decorated like a Durga Puja pandal, a set of nine books is priced at Rs 2,903. “Book lovers are enquiring a lot about the Chief Minister’s latest book, SIR- 26 e 26, and the nine-book set is also doing very well,” said an official at the stall.

At the West Bengal Urdu Academy stall, the Chief Minister’s books such as ‘Savera’, ‘Insaaf and Tamanna’ are being distributed free of cost.

The West Bengal government pavilion also showcases several of Banerjee’s popular works, including ‘Khela Hobe’, SIR- 26 e 26.

“Her books of wisdom and collections of phrases like Kotha and Savera are extremely popular,” said an official. Meanwhile, on Sunday, the book fair grounds were packed to

capacity, with book lovers struggling for space just to reach the stalls. Nearly 4.3 lakh visitors thronged the fair on the day, the last holiday before it concludes on February 3. This is the highest single-day footfall at the book fair till now.