For the first time in 25 years, the 48th International Kolkata Book Fair has commenced without Bangladesh’s participation. The fair, which started on January 28, will continue until February 8.
On Tuesday evening, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the event in the presence of German Ambassador to India, Philipp Ackermann, and renowned writer Abul Bashar.
In previous years, a major attraction of the book fair was a grand pavilion modeled after an iconic architectural structure from Bangladesh. Readers in West Bengal also eagerly awaited new books from Bangladeshi authors.
Regarding Bangladesh’s absence this year, Tridib Kumar Chatterjee, president of the organizing body Publishers and Booksellers Guild, stated that participation requires an official application from the concerned country. Since Bangladesh did not submit an application this year, they could not allocate space for Bangladeshi publishers and booksellers.
The book fair is being held at Central Park in Salt Lake. This year, 12 countries are participating, with Germany as the theme country.
It is expected that around 2.5 million buyers and readers will visit the fair. Nearly a thousand publishers and booksellers from various countries have joined the event.