More than 600 stalls from 20 countries graced the 45th Kolkata International Book Fair with “Bangladesh” as the focal theme of the grand event. This gala event organised at the Central Park Grounds in Salt Lake City used to be an yearly event in the pre pandemic times, however this edition was possible after a hiatus of two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Kolkata Book Fair is the annual event that small and medium book sellers of West Bengal as 
well as publishers of the other states look forward to, because of the phenomenal footfall and sales generated over a period of few days. The Kolkata Book Fair makes up for around 30-50 percent of the annual earnings for most publishers in the region, since the last two years have been tough for all businesses, this book fair has come as nothing short of a lifeboat for publishers and the small time entrepreneurs struggling to stay afloat in a post-pandemic world.
Apart from the books, the other major attraction at the fair is cuisine. The Kolkata Book Fair is not just a heaven for book lovers but for foodies as well. From stalls selling Kashmiri kahwa , fish-fry, basanti pulao, paturi to the essential ‘pan‘ and an assortment of desserts. 
Ratan Jana from one of the food stalls stated, “The crowd this year is exceptional and we are hardly getting any time to rest because of the flood of orders”. He also added “The pandemic has left so many of us without jobs and we have suffered like anybody else. This is a huge opportunity for us to earn some money”. Another food stall owner, Parthapratim Dutta, who traveled all the way from Chhattisgarh, was of a similar opinion.
He stated, “I was waiting for this event for the past two years as I was going through a bad financial phase due to Covid-19 pandemic. Now, it seems like nothing has happened and as if the past two years were just a horrible nightmare. We have been serving food to the visitors and my belief is we will be able to recover the loss, but right now are not thinking of the profit, just doing our job.”
There are also stalls selling junk jewellery , earthen pots and brass items. “The book fair has given us a chance to showcase our craft to the masses”, says Laxmi Das an oxidized jewelry seller. “The crowd we get and the appreciation we get makes it worth setting up a stall in this heat,” she added. 
There were numerous stalls on the fairground selling locally made knick-knacks and traditional handicrafts such as patachitra. Paintings by local artists also find a place among these stalls. “These items represent the culture and tradition of Bengal, also its a means of livelihood for struggling artists like us and thanks to the authorities for giving us a chance to display them and earn a decent livelihood in this difficult time” Kakali Malik from one of the handicraft shops.
The total number of visitors and buyers who come to the fair is estimated to be more than 16 lakh and at least 1.5 million people attend it on Sundays alone. However, the book fair was organized in strict compliance with the COVID-19 protocols.
The total business transactions at this two week fair are estimated to be around Rs.20 crore. “As many as 1.65 million people came to the fair in the first two days. Over the years, the fair has never witnessed such an unprecedented sale of books. We are overwhelmed by the response from the people” says General Secretary of the organizing guild Tridib Chattopadhyay. 
On the closing day of the fair, several medium and big publishers said they were overwhelmed by the response in terms of footfall and sales. Sunday (March 13, 2022) was the last day of the fair.
Spanish Ambassador to India Mr. Jose Maria Ridao was the guest of honour on the final day. In his presence, the authorities announced that the theme of next year’s book fair would be Spain.
Bengal has always been considered as the epitome of culture, traditions and human heritage not just in South Asia but in the World. The Kolkata book fair epitomizes the spirit of the Bengali people, be it in the form of literature, painting, cuisine or ‘junk jewellery’.
This robust celebration of art, heritage and human endeavor post a deadly global pandemic once again showcases beyond any doubt the ‘never say die’ spirit of Bengal.
Edited by: Raghujit S. Randhawa