
KOLKATA: For the first time in 28 years, Bangladesh has not been included as a participating country in the Kolkata International Book Fair, which West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated on Tuesday.
Bangladesh had been a consistent participant since the fair's inception, with notable appearances including 1999, when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina attended as the country was the fair's theme. Despite changes in governance between 2001 and 2008, when Bangladesh was under the rule of Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party and later military control, the country's participation remained uninterrupted. However, this year marks the first absence of Bangladesh since the fair’s inception.
Tridib Chatterjee, President of the Publishers and Booksellers Guild, explained that the Guild had not received any official directive from the Indian government regarding Bangladesh’s participation. "Given the current situation, we cannot comment on Bangladesh’s involvement until we receive instructions from the central government," he said.
Despite the absence of Bangladesh as a participating country, literary works by popular Bangladeshi authors will still be available at the fair through the stalls of Indian publishers. Chatterjee mentioned that his own publishing house, Dey's Publishing, would be offering these works to visitors.
This year, the fair will host several international participants, including the UK, US, France, Italy, Spain, Peru, Argentina, and Colombia, with Germany taking the spotlight as the theme country for the first time. The 48th edition of the Kolkata International Book Fair, organized by the Publishers and Booksellers Guild, will run from January 28 to February 9, 2024, at Salt Lake.
Guild officials are expecting a record turnout of 2.7 million visitors and a total of Rs 23 crore in book sales during the fair.
Regarding the possibility of Bangladeshi dignitaries attending literary discussions, Chatterjee noted that the situation remains fluid, with visa issues falling under the jurisdiction of the central government.