Something seems amiss in a house without books, chief minister Mamata Banerjee said inaugurating the 48th edition of the International Kolkata Book Fair at the Boi Mela Prangan in Salt Lake’s Karunamoyee on Tuesday.
“Je baritey boi thaakey na, kirokom kirokom mone hoy (Something seems missing in a house bereft of books). It’s not a decoration. Eta hridoy er decoration (It’s the decoration of the heart),” Mamata said at the inaugural programme.
She was accompanied by Philipp Ackermann, the German ambassador to India, and Marla Stukenberg, the director of Goethe-Institut, South Asia. Germany is the theme country for this edition of the fair, which will continue till February 9.
“Books are our friend, philosopher and guide. Books are our inspiration, our language, our hope and our vision. We get to know everything about the world, a country, a state from books,” Mamata said.
“Books remain in our memory and that’s why we love this Book Fair so much,” she said.
Around 1,000 publishers of books and little magazines are participating in this year’s fair, the highest so far. The fair will remain open from noon to 8pm. On the last day, the fair will close at 9pm.
“Saraswati Puja is around the corner. We have to make our offerings to the goddess and here, at this fair, it’s done through books,” Mamata said.
“The public loves this Book Fair. This has a connect with the heart. So, always smile with books. Boi porun, boi kinun (Read books, buy books),” she said.
The chief minister unveiled three books penned by her — a collection of poems,
a book on Bengal’s development policies and another on elections.
She also presented a lifetime achievement award to author Abul Bashar on behalf of the Publishers and Booksellers Guild, the organisers of the fair.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, German ambassador Ackermann expressed satisfaction that his country is the theme country for the first time since the fair began.
“I come from Delhi where people are talking about Kumbh Mela. To me, this is the Kumbh Mela of books. Calcutta as a city is the hub of art, culture and literary traditions and we are happy to be here in the festival of books,” Ackermann said.
The chief minister requested Ackermann that among several things, he should carry the message that Bengal football lovers are fans of German footballers.
“Please convey my congratulations to your footballers. They are very popular because we like football. You know we have so many clubs. We are always happy to watch football,” Mamata said.