No Bangladeshi Booksellers for Agartala Book Fair During Political Turmoil

Agartala Book Fair 2025 begins Jan 2 with 150+ stalls but no Bangladeshi publishers due to political unrest, marking a shift in its legacy.

on Jan 03, 2025

No Bangladeshi Booksellers for Agartala Book Fair During Political Turmoil | Frontlist

Agartala, Jan 1: For the first time since it was organised in 1981, the Agartala Book Fair will take place without any booksellers or publishers from Bangladesh attending due to political upsurge in Bangladesh after the overthrow of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League government.

The 43rd Agartala Book Fair is a 13-day affair; it starts on January 2. Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha will formally open this fair. Over 150 stalls, less than last year, will be occupied by publishers from Kolkata, Guwahati, Delhi, and local houses, but none from Bangladesh.

According to officials, Bangladeshi publishers had participated in the fair traditionally and Indian sellers also used to sell Bangladesh books in the previous editions. However, this time around, publishers from both countries have given it a miss, terming the situation "politically tense" and that India has been witnessing protests recently against Bangladesh books.

Leading publisher Debananda Dam said, "Given the unrest in Bangladesh, neither Bangladeshi publishers nor Indian sellers of Bangladesh-related books are attending this year."

Protests in West Bengal book fairs and a recent incident in Assam, where a Bangladeshi trader was forced to close his stall, have added to the hesitation.

Similarly, the upcoming 48th International Kolkata Book Fair, beginning January 28, will also see no participation from Bangladeshi booksellers.

The Agartala Book Fair, however, has become a continuing cultural highlight while losing the memory of its historic legacy of being a cross-border literary exchange space in the light of Bangladeshi representation.