Iran to take part in Kolkata Book Fair for the first time

on Feb 23, 2022

Iran will participate in the International Kolkata Book Fair interestingly, the Publishers and Booksellers' Guild said on Tuesday.

Iran will be part of a contingent of publishers from 20 different nations at the 45th version of the Book Fair planned from February 28 to March 13.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee will inaugurate the event at Central Park in Salt Lake. The fair couldn't be held last year due to the pandemic.

Among the visitors will be K.M. Khalid, Bangladesh's pastor for social issues and Bangladeshi creator Selina Hossain.

Bangladesh is the fair's "theme country" this year.

The book fair will have 600 stalls and another 200 dedicated to publishers of little magazines.

The fair will likewise have a mukta mancha (open stage) named after the late actor Soumitra Chatterjee.

“There will be nine entry and exit gates. Three of these gates will be the replica of three books penned by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” said Sudhangshu Sekhar Dey, the Guild’s president. “Among the other gates, there will be Biswa Bangla gate, Satyajit Ray gate and a one named after Abanindranath Tagore.”

“An Android app to locate any stall at the fair will soon be available,” said Tridib Chattopadhayay, general secretary of the Guild.

A lottery will be hung on four days and one on every one of those days will win a book gift coupon of Rs. 25,000 each.