Russia, Ukraine share common ground at Kolkata Book Fair
KOLKATA: Books and culture know no borders. You don’t need a visa to read a book by a renowned author or poet from another country. Books can connect a soldier and a leader alike; they can be found in the homes of friends as well as foes. As the 49th International Kolkata Book Fair reaches its final day on Tuesday, the fair sets an example for a world divided by wars but united by words. This year’s Kolkata book fair has provided a common ground for Russia and Ukraine, two countries in focus globally because of the war. Also, this is the first time Ukraine is participating in the Kolkata Book Fair.
While the Russian stall, located beside Peru, houses works by literary greats such as Maxim Gorky, Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Anton Chekhov and Alexander Pushkin, the Ukraine stall, situated between France and Australia, shines with Dr Mridula Ghosh’s Bengali translation of Taras Shevchenko, the foremost Ukrainian poet of the 19th century. Geopolitical tensions seem to have little impact on Kolkata’s book lovers. Instead, visitors are keen to explore the culture and literature of both countries. Dr Ghosh’s work is seen as an important step in bringing Ukrainian classics closer to Bengali readers.
“It’s a book fair, and books are for everybody. Shevchenko is a classical poet, much like Rabindranath Tagore is in India. He is a poet of freedom and struggle.
I am happy that readers in Kolkata are showing interest in the book. Another title is ‘House with the Stained-Glass Window’ by Zanna Słoniowska, translated by Sulagna Mukhopadhyay. There are also translated works of other contemporary Ukrainian poets,” said Tetiana Sharma, Third Secretary of the Embassy of Ukraine in India. The Russia stall, meanwhile, features both books and exhibitions. Fifty photographs depicting the ‘Victory over Fascism’ are also on display. “Gorky, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Chekhov have always been popular among Kolkata readers.
We also have translated works in Bengali, Hindi and English. Russia was also the focal theme country at the 44th edition in 2020,” said Gautam Ghosh from the Russian stall.
