Uncertainty over Bangladesh’s participation in Kolkata Book Fair next year

Kolkata, Nov 15 (IANS) Uncertainty looms over the participation of publishers from Bangladesh at the iconic annual Kolkata Book Fair, scheduled from January 28 to February 9 next year, against the backdrop of the ongoing political and social tension going on in the neighbouring country.

With Germany being the theme country for the event this time, Publishers & Booksellers Guild, the organisers of the Kolkata Book Fair, has got confirmation from other countries like the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Italy, Spain, Spain, Peru, Argentina, and Colombia among others, but not from any publisher from Bangladesh.

According to Guild President Tridib Kumar Chattopadhyay, because of some political developments, the organisers are looking for permission from the government on this issue.

"We will act according to the instructions of the government," he said.

As per protocol, publishers from other nations are required to make applications to the guild and their permission for participation is subject to approval from the Union government. In case there is no participation from the publishers from Bangladesh, it will be a major loss of attraction for the annual event, since the Bangladeshi book stalls at the event attracted the maximum crowd among the foreign publishers considering that the same language of Bengal is spoken both in West Bengal and Bangladesh and there is also a cultural synergy.

Bangladeshi book stalls also often made arrangements for interactions between writers and poets from West Bengal and Bangladesh.

This time there will be 1,050 book stalls. Explaining why Germany has been chosen as the theme country, a Guild official said that the Kolkata Book Fair, started in 1976, was inspired by the world’s first book fair organised in Germany's Frankfurt in 1949. Like every year, the event will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

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