The long weekend came as a blessing for book lovers and sellers alike as the 49th International Kolkata Book Fair broke all previous footfall records and clocked in as many as 15 lakh visitors since it commenced on January 22 (Thursday), said officials of the Publishers and Booksellers Guild.
"Till yesterday, the total footfall was around 15 lakh. This surge has been driven by the four-day long weekend and holidays," said Tridib Chatterjee, general secretary of Publishers and Booksellers guild, while speaking to News Ei Samay.
He further informed that this year's book sales have outperformed those of last year.
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When asked about the major changes in this year's fair as compared to last year, the guild president lauded the "Metro connectivity which has encouraged the book lovers to commute to book fair from distant districts and towns".
People share experiences
As the day went on, people kept thronging the fairgrounds through nine different entrances. Most of the book lovers flocked to the Indian Publishing House booths featuring the most popular and best-selling Bengali books. There were long queues outside many booths. Many of the booths that featured popular English fiction and English non-fiction were packed with book lovers wanting to get to them.
For Shabnam Dutta, the 49th International Book Fair came as a boon as she got an individual stall for the very first time. While she has a full-time job in London, Shabnam comes to Kolkata every year just to take part in the book fair, which she says is her "passion".
She has set up her stall amid an array of many other stalls and when asked about her experience and the feedback she has received from people, she said, "The book fair has a lovely vibe. So many people are buying our books...but the real excitement comes when we get reviews for our books. We receive tons and tons of reviews for our books here."
She handles her book stall along with her husband and the couple makes sure that the people visiting their stall do not leave empty-handed. "These days, we have so many things available digitally, be it Netflix, Prime and so on... and people no longer read. But in Kolkata, things are different. The turnout of book lovers here has been very amazing and overwhelming," she said.
For Gautam, an author, the book fair has been an every-year ritual. During his college days, he would visit the fair with his friends and colleagues and this year, he has his own book, Mind Drift Decoded, featuring at one of the stalls. The book is a practical guide to rebooting the mind and reclaiming focus.
"In an age where the focus is shifting to digital and where all sorts of synthetic materials are found, there is a need for skills. But where will we get these skills from? This is where books step in and teach us patience," he said.
He said that for any city, book fairs are essential as they help inculcate skills and ideas that no other platform can ever provide.
A woman who did not wish to be named had come to the book fair along with her son and was flipping through books said, "The habit of reading needs to be inculcated at a very young and nascent age. My son is in Class I and I ensure he reads books everyday apart from the school-prescribed books."
Sandip Mondal had reached the fair around noon on Monday and by evening, he had bought books worth about Rs 8,000, most of which were Bengali. An engineer by profession, he said he loves to read and had inculcated the habit from a very young age.
"Reading for me is like an escape from the hustle of everyday life where I don't have to worry about what chores to do next or think about my work. Books are my best friends," he said.
Like Sandip, countless others flocked to the fair, enjoying the live music shows and a tempting spread of food. Some families could be seen spreading sheets on the ground, setting books aside for a while and bonding over food.
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Security
Talking to News Ei Samay, Commissioner of Police for Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, Mukesh, informed that the police personnel were maintaining utmost law and order at the book fair. With a deployment of as many as 1,000 officers, every lane was being manned.
Additionally, personnel were keeping an eye on the CCTV footage from control rooms. He also informed of plainclothes police officers who were ensuring security at the fair.
"Frisking is being done on all the nine gates and everyone is being checked. The anti-crime teams have a database of all criminals and we are making sure to thoroughly inspect any suspicious people," he informed.
