Kolkata International Book Fair 2011

The Mecca of publishers, book lovers and students, the Book Fair held in early February is a place that every family in Kolkata makes a beeline for. It is the world's largest non-trade book fair, Asia's largest book fair and the most attended book fair in the world. It is the world's third largest annual conglomeration of books after the Frankfurt Book Fair and the London Book Fair. The fair showcases the best of not just Indian publishers, but also bookseller, writers and bibliophiles from all corners of the globe. Great discounts are offered on a mind-boggling collection of titles as visitors to the fair wend their way in and out of the colorful stalls, stopping every now and then to grab a bite, get their portraits painted or just listen to the music filtering through the fair grounds.

The lyric of Kolkata International Book Fair 2011 theme song is Oi Dakse boi, jeno patai patai likha onek kotha (In Bengali, regional language of Kolkata) and it’s a very appealing song. Countries participated this year were:

Bangladesh

Britain

China

Germany

The African Union

USA (Theme Country)

Spain

Italy

Mongolia

Sweden

14 Latin American Countries

Vietnam

Cuba

The book fair was started on a small scale in 1976 by the Kolkata Publishers' and Booksellers' Guild. From 2009, the fair is being held in its new location at "Milan Mela" near Science City. Before it used to be held in the Maidan, Kolkata's large urban park. The fair started on 26th January and will end on 6th Feb, 2011. United States of America has been selected the focal theme country for the 2011 Book Fair. Different kinds of national and international books for diverse age groups were exhibited in the event. Books on information, academics, entertainment banking, sociology, philosophy, literature, child development, health, medicine, engineering, tourism, management, agriculture and IT have been showcased. The main attraction of this year’s Book Fair was NO ENTRY FEE for the book lovers due to the celebration of 150th year of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s birth day.. This was a big boon for the KOLKATTANS.

This is the 35th book fair held in Kolkata and me as a book lover took some spare time from my busy schedule and rush to the Milan Mela Complex to be a part of Kolkata Book Fair 2011, officially Kolkata Boimela or Kolkata Pustakmela.  I brought some books I was longing from long ago. One of them was (THE DAIRY OF A YOUNG GIRL, by Anne Frank), which there I got in 10% discount. When my hands were full of books I went to a food stall and enjoyed some fast food too. My heart was little low when I was coming back from  Book Fair, but all good things come to end sooner or later so I said goodbye to the book fair and promise myself to be a part of Kolkata Book fair next year too.