Students of Presidency University on Tuesday pledged to stand by the cyclone-ravaged booksellers of College Street -- the city's one-stop destination for bibliophiles -- and help them get back on their feet.
The students' council of the varsity has joined hands with the institute's publication society to reconstruct the 'boi para' (book mart) by raising funds for the cause.
College Street, a 2-km stretch in central Kolkata, houses hundreds of book stalls.
Cyclone 'Amphan', which tore through Bengal on May 20, flattened many such stalls, with books left floating in the waterlogged lane -- the images of which have gone viral on social media.
'We were moved to tears after seeing images of books floating on the flooded street, as the stall owners watched helplessly. Nothing could be damaging than a calamity striking in the midst of a lockdown. After deliberations, the members of the council decided to approach classmates and other well- wishers for monetary help.
'The university's publication society also came on board,' one of the students said.
The apex body of publishers and booksellers in the state has said that the losses incurred by the booksellers due to Amphan could run into crores. It has decided to request the state and central governments and different consulates in the city to come to the aid of the booksellers.
'We have named the initiative Boi Parar Pase Presidency- Pase thakun apnio (Presidency stands by the book hub of College Street -- Need your support, too).
'College Street has always been the first choice of students when it came to book-hunting. So many of us have borrowed reference books from these stall owners by paying a nominal amount when we ran out of money. It's time to do our bit,' another student said.