This year’s Kolkata Book Fair to be dedicated to Bangabandhu

This year's Kolkata Book Fair will be dedicated to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to mark the 50th year of the creation of Bangladesh. The year 2021 also marks the birth centenary of Bangabandhu.

The annual book fair, which draws lakhs of visitors every year, has been delayed this year. The festival, usually held towards the end of January and early February, has been postponed to July 2021, reports the Hindu.

Tridip Kumar Chatterjee, president of the Publishers and BookSellers Guild, said that the pandemic and the upcoming Assembly polls in West Bengal are the reasons for deferring the mega event.

"The International Kolkata Book Fair 2021 will be dedicated to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the Golden Jubilee year of independence of Bangladesh," said a statement by the guild.

Bangladeshi Deputy High Commissioner to India, Toufique Hasan, who was present during the announcement, said: "2021 is an important year for us and we are thankful to the guild that even in times of Covid-19 they have made Bangladesh the theme country."

He pointed out that the occasion also marks 50 years of India-Bangladesh relations. The diplomat urged the organisers to provide more space to publishers from Bangladesh. He added that last year about 40 publishers from the country had displayed their publications.