The Kolkata Book Fair will this 12 months be dedicated to Bangladesh’s founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to mark the fiftieth 12 months of the creation of the neighbouring nation. The 12 months 2021 additionally marks the delivery centenary of Bangabandhu.
The annual guide honest, which attracts lakhs of holiday makers yearly, has been delayed this 12 months. The pageant, normally held in direction of the top of January and early February, has been postponed to July 2021.
Tridip Kumar Chatterjee, president of the Publishers & BookSellers Guild, mentioned that the pandemic and the upcoming Assembly polls in West Bengal are the explanations for deferring the mega occasion.
“The International Kolkata Book Fair 2021 will be dedicated to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the Golden Jubilee year of independence of Bangladesh,” mentioned a press release by the guild.
Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh Toufique Hasan, who was current on the announcement, mentioned, “2021 is an important year for us and we are thankful to the guild that even in times of COVID-19 they have made Bangladesh the theme country,” Mr. Hasan mentioned. He identified that the event additionally marks 50 years of India-Bangladesh relations. The diplomat urged the organisers to present extra space to publishers from Bangladesh. He added that final 12 months about 40 publishers from the nation had displayed their publications.
Last 12 months’s version of the honest had over 600 guide stalls and the enterprise had crossed over ₹10 crore. “We are happy to announce that, for the first time, the Publishers & Booksellers Guild will organise a book festival ‘Ekushe Bhasha Utsab’ on the occasion of International Mother Language Day. The festival will celebrate Bengali literature, language and culture,” the Guild said.
