The International Kolkata Book Fair, easily the biggest event in the city after Durga Puja, will be held from January 22 to February 3, with Argentina being the ‘theme country’ this year, and Bangladesh to be absent because of current issues in its relationship with India.
Moreover, this is the first time that Metro Rail and the book fair will connect, even though both have been integral to Kolkata’s ecosystem for decades. This is possible because two Metro stations have come up very near the current venue of the book fair, which is Central Park at Salt Lake City.
“For the first time, the venue of the book fair will be directly connected by Metro from Howrah to Karunamoyee and Central Park via Esplanade. A huge number of booklovers from all over Kolkata, Howrah and other districts can avail of the Metro to reach the book fair venue. On our request, the Metro Rail authorities have decided to increase the frequency of the service. The last train will be available around 10 p.m. on all book fair days. A special booth will also be there at the fair venue for visitors to book tickets by UPI,” Tridib Chatterjee of the Publishers & Booksellers Guild, which organises the annual event, told a news conference.
