Book Sales Reaches Rs.25 Crores at the 46th International Kolkata Book Fair

Last year's attendance of 24 lakhs was promising since it showed that people were leaving their houses after the epidemic.

on Feb 13, 2023

The 46th International Kolkata Book Fair saw sales of books totaling Rs 25.50 crore, according to the organizers. This year's book show, which ran from January 31 to February 12, attracted almost 26 lakh visitors, according to Tridib Chatterjee, general secretary of the Publishers and Booksellers Guild.

According to him, the attendance and sales set new highs for the book fair, started in 1976.

"Last year's attendance of 24 lakhs was promising since it showed that people were leaving their houses after the epidemic. However, attendance this year exceeded that amount by almost 2 lakhs. We are delighted with how the public has responded. In the book fair's history, this is unprecedented, he added.

Except for the 70 booths in the Bangladesh pavilion, there were 950 booths in the exhibition. Spain served as the focal country.

According to Chatterjee, the book fair would likewise feature a European country as its theme country and take place at the same location in Salt Lake Central Park the following year.

"Only last year did we have to move it from January through February to March owing to various circumstances. While the epidemic prevented the expo from taking place in 2021, he added.

Firhad Hakim, the mayor of Kolkata, remarked during the closing ceremony on Sunday that the book fair is "another celebration of Bengal's tradition and culture like Durga Puja."

He asserted that the fair's increased attendance is evidence that "the people of Bengal are among the most literate people in the country."

The Kolkata book expo's organizers, he claimed, will hold a comparable book fair in Delhi.