News stardom : Kolkata, 20th. January 2023: Only 9 more days are left before the inauguration of the 46th International Kolkata Book Fair. The fair will be inaugurated on 30 January 2023 at 2 pm at the Boimela Prangan, Salt Lake, by our Hon’ble Chief Minister Smt. Mamata Banerjee, in presence of Ms Maria Jose Galvez Salvador, Director-General of Books and Promotion of Reading, Spanish Ministry of Culture & Sports, Shri Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, eminent author of Bengal along with other eminent authors, dignitaries and Hon’ble Ministers of our state.
The following are the highlights of this year’s International Kolkata Book Fair:
1. There will be around 700 stalls and 200 Little Magazines. This year we have allotted stalls to many more new small and medium publishers at the Book Fair.
2. There will be nine entry and exit gates in the IKBF 2023 for the easy movement of the visitors. One of the gates will be the replica of Toledo Gate of Spain. Among the other gates, there will be Biswa Bangla Gate & Najrul’s Agnibina Gate.
3. Big two halls of the Book Fair having mainly the English publications have been named after Michael Madhusudan Dutt and Pyaricharan Sarkar, commemorating their bicentenary birth year. The Little Magazine Pavilions will be named after author-editor Ramapada Chowdhury to observe his birth centenary. Also there will be a HDFC Ergo Press Corner and two Mukta Mancha (Open stage) named after Mrinal Sen and Tarun Mazumdar. The Children’s Pavilion will be based on the characters of Abol Tabol, celebrating 100 years of its publication.
4. For booklovers, Transport Department, Government of West Bengal has assured to provide additional bus services. This year for the first time we will have direct Metro connection from Sealdah railway station to Book Fair metro stations namely Central Park & Karunamoyee. With the help of Bidhannagar Police, the auto fare of various destinations will also be fixed for the Book Fair.
5. Forest Department, Government of West Bengal has come forward to make the Book Fair green and eco friendly.
6. A special medical assistance service with ambulance and well equipped doctors, by Peerless Hospitex Hospital And Research Centre Limited,- the Health Partner of IKBF 2023.
7. International Kolkata Book Fair 2023 android app to locate any stall in the fair, created by CESC will be available from play store soon.
8. Meghbela Broadband will be the Exclusive Broadband Partner of Book Fair 2023.
9. Our hospitality partner – Novotel hotels and residencies, will provide hospitality to our Guests coming from abroad.
10. Around 20 Countries across the globe will participate at the International Kolkata Book Fair 2023. Thailand will be participating for the first time this year.
11. We are indebted to CESC for their all-out cooperation. There will be a CESC Corner for eminent guests of Book Fair like earlier years which will be grandly decorated. The daily lottery will be held from there, where CESC will distribute Book Gift Coupon worth Rs 15,000/- per day to the lucky winners.
“Buy books and win a Book Library” – As a commitment to the society, like previous years Guild has decided to disseminate the opportunity to more and more book lovers. The ‘Book Bumper Library lottery’ will be organised and a good number of winners will win Book Gift Coupon of Rs 25,000/- each.
A special ‘CESC Sristi Samman’ will be awarded this year to Shri Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay.
We are deeply indebted to State Bank of India – our official Banker for providing full banking facilities, ATM and E-services in the Fair Ground.
We are also indebted to ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company – our Official Insurer.
We also acknowledge great support from National Jute Board as our Green partner.
Like last year, the IKBF will have virtual live presence through the website and social media pages of the Book Fair. Live telecast will also be streamed in SNU TV and aajkaal.in. Those who are staying abroad, they can watch the Book Fair along with its different programs online. Our exclusive digital partner is Sister Nivedita University.
The major attraction of the International Kolkata Book Fair that we all look forward to, will be the 9th edition of the Kolkata Literature Festival which will be held for 3 days inside the SBI auditorium, from 9 to 11 February 2023.
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