Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the 46th Kolkata Book Fair in Kolkata on 30 January. About 900 stalls from different countries have been set up in the book fair. , Photo Credit: Debashish Bhaduri
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the 46th International Kolkata Book Fair in Salt Lake on 30 January.
One of the biggest book fair of Eastern India will be held at Central Park Fair Grounds from 31st January to 12th February. Spain is the theme country at the fair. María José Gálvez Salvador, Director General of Books and Promotion of Reading, Spanish Ministry of Culture and Sports, was present at the inauguration.
There will be around 700 stalls and 200 little magazine stalls in the fair.
At the inauguration, Ms. Banerjee said that efforts are being made to end freedom of speech and promote hatred in the country. He said, ‘When needed, we should raise our voice to protect democracy. We must be wary of any attempt to overturn our original history. Let us be one We want peace and prosperity,” she said.
In a social media post, she said that six of her books were launched during the day at the fair.
A pavilion of Spain at the International Kolkata Book Fair on January 30, 2023. , Photo Credit: PTI
According to the organizers of the book fair, there will be nine entry and exit points for easy movement of visitors. “One of the gates will be a replica of the Toledo Gate in Spain. Other gates would be Biswa Bangla Gate and Nazrul’s Agnibina Gate. Two large halls at the fair, which house mainly English publications, have been named after Michael Madhusudan Dutt and Pyarecharan Sarkar to commemorate their bicentenary birth years,” said a press statement by the organisers.
The Kolkata Book Fair attracts lakhs of visitors every year. In 2022, the 45th International Kolkata Book Fair attracted 1.8 million visitors and sold books worth ₹20 crore.