A five-day Santhali book fair was inaugurated in Jhargram town on Wednesday, the first such move by the Mamata Banerjee government to promote indigenous language and literature in Jungle Mahal with publishers from Calcutta and neighbouring Jharkhand and Odisha.

The book fair has been organised by the Paschim Banga Santali Academy and Jhargram district administration.

“It is the first such move by the state government to promote Santhali language and literature with special focus on four Jungle Mahal districts. Though this is the first initiative, we plan to hold the fair in other tribal-populated districts like Purulia, West Midnapore and Bankura,” said a senior official in the tribal welfare department in Calcutta.

The far has 35 book stalls where publishers from Calcutta, Jharkhand’s Ranchi and Jamshedpur, and Odisha are selling books by popular authors, including Santhali stalwarts like Pandit Raghunath Murmu, Sarada Prasad Murmu and Sarada Prasad Kisku.

Several senior officials said Mamata started institutionalising Dalit and tribal literature with a rich intellectual tradition.

In 2020, her government set up Dalit Sahitya Academy with Manoranjan Byapari as chairperson. Byapari’s book Itibritte Chandal Jibon (Interrogating my Chandal life) has won several prizes. He is now a Trinamul MLA.

Mamata has tried to woo the tribal community in Bengal, especially in the four Jungle Mahal districts, by organising festivals, opening educational institutions and Santhali courses in colleges and universities. Her government has made Pandit Raghunath Murmu’s birth anniversary on May 18 an annual holiday.

“The Santhali book fair is the chief minister’s idea. We hope it helps Santhali publishers and readers across Jungle Mahal. It is the first such move and a process to bring scholars students, teachers and authors in the Santhali language under one umbrella,” said Jhargram MLA and junior forest minister Birbaha Hansda.

She accompanied minister Sandhya Rani Tudu and other officials to inaugurate the book fair.

Sources said Mamata’s effort to organise the Santhali book fair was to woo the people of the community before the rural polls.

According to the 2011 census, Bengal has a tribal population of around 53 lakh that plays a major role in electing representatives in at least 40 Assembly seats.

“We have campaigned in hamlets and schools in the tribal belt to invite teachers, students and researchers of Santhali language to the fair,” said Jhargram SDO Babulal Mahato.

All India Tribal Book Sellers and Publishers Forum welcomed the move. “We request the government to make it an annual event. We will be happy if libraries and offices of the state government buy Santhali books,” said Kalipada Hembram, general secretary of the forum.