Special Metro service & additional buses for Kolkata Book Fair
KOLKATA: Come January 18 and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will inaugurate the 47th International Kolkata Book Fair at 4 pm at Salt Lake’s Boimela Prangan. Celebrated author Bani Basu, British Deputy High Commissioner Alex Ellis and British Council Country Director Alison Barrett MBE will be present. Basu will be presented with the ‘Dr. Rama Prasad Goenka CESC Sristi Samman 2024’ at the event.
The fair, on till January 31, boasts a record-breaking 1,000 stalls and little magazines—a first in the fair’s history. The Publishers & Booksellers Guild has given more stalls to small publishers this year. Meanwhile, the fair will have nine gates, including replicas of London Tower Bridge and Bethune School for its 175th foundation year. Gates are also named after renowned authors Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay and Federico García Lorca for their 125th birth year. Tributes will be paid to literary veterans Nirendranath Chakraborty and Samaresh Basu for their birth centenary year.
Like every year, the transport department will provide additional bus service, said Guild President Tridib Chatterjee at a press conference on Monday. Also, the Sealdah Metro will operate on holidays to ensure a hassle-free experience. Meanwhile, for the first time, a special digital ground map by Sister Nivedita University (digital partner of the fair) with the participant list of the book fair will be available just by scanning QR Code at all the entry points of the fair, said Chatterjee.
“We are providing a system where people worldwide can enjoy the book fair from the comfort of their homes. Also, our students will organise various events daily to uplift the fair’s reputation globally,” said Dhruvajyoti Chattopadhyay, Vice-Chancellor, Sister Nivedita University.
In 2024, the spotlight is on the United Kingdom as the focal theme country. Around 20 countries from across the globe will participate in this literary extravaganza in Kolkata. An exciting feature is the 10th edition of the Kolkata Literature Festival, taking place from January 26 to 28 at the Boimela Prangan, said Guild honorary general secretary Sudhangshu Sekhar Dey.
