26 lakh visited Kolkata book fair; books worth over Rs 25 crore sold: Organisers

Guild president Sudhangshu Sekhar Dey said that 6-10 per cent increase in sales was recorded in all the stalls at the fair. There were 950 stalls at the fair this year, apart from 70 stalls in the Bangladesh pavilion and Spain was the theme country.

“Almost every stall witnessed an increase in sales. The Bangladesh pavilion sold the most number of books. Books worth Rs 1 crore was sold in the Bangladesh pavilion,” said Dey.

Chatterjee informed that a European nation will be the theme country in next year’s fair and it will be held during the same time at the Salt Lake Central Park.
Last year, due to a spike in Covid-19 cases, the fair was postponed from January-February to March. In 2021, the fair could not be held due to the pandemic.

On January 30, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had inaugurated the fair along with Mara José Gálvez Salvador, from the Spanish Ministry of Culture and Sports and Ambassador of Spain to India, Jose Maria Ridao Domínguez.

At the closing ceremony on Sunday, Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim said, “The book fair is another celebration of Bengal’s heritage and culture, like Durga Puja. The increase in turnout at proves the people of Bengal are among the most literate people in the country.”