News Desk, News Nation 360: There are just nine days remaining until the 47th International Kolkata Book Fair opens. Our Hon'ble Chief Minister, Smt. Mamata Banerjee, will open the fair on January 18, 2024, at 4 p.m. at the Boimela Prangan in Salt Lake. Other guests who will be present include Alex Ellis CMG, the British High Commissioner to India, Alison Barrett MBE, the Director of the British Council, India, and Smt. Bani Basu, a renowned author, along with other writers, dignitaries, and Hon'ble Ministers from our state. Highlights from this year's International Kolkata Book Fair include the following: 1. There will be about a thousand Little Magazines and stalls. We have given many more small publishers stands at the Book Fair this year. 2. On January 24, we shall commemorate "Chiro Tarun," or Senior Citizen's Day. On that day, there will be an interactive session with senior readers, senior publishers, and senior authors, Abul Basar, Debajyoti Datta, and Saswati Adhikari. 3. To facilitate visitors' simple mobility, the IKBF 2024 will feature nine entry and exit gates. The London Tower Bridge replica will be one of the gateways. A second gate will honour the 175th anniversary of Bethune School's founding with a replica of the school. In addition to the other gates, Biswa Bangla Gate will be constructed, and two gates honouring Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay and Federico García Lorca in honour of their 125th birthdays each will be named. 4. The Book Fair's two largest halls, which house mostly English-language books, are named for the authors Samares Mazumdar and A.S. Byatt, who passed away in 2023. Sandip Dutta, who also departed from us last year, will be honoured with a name for the Little Magazine Pavilions. An HDFC Ergo Press Corner and two Mukta manchas (open stages) honouring Nirendranath Chakraborty and Samaresh Basu in honour of their centennial years of birth will also be present. To honour Sashtipada Chattopadhyay, the Children's Pavilion will be themed after the characters of Pandab Goenda. 5. More bus services will be offered by the West Bengal government's Transport Department. There will be a dedicated Metro service from Sealdah, and it will operate on holidays as well. The auto fee for the Book Fair will also be fixed with the assistance of the Bidhannagar Police. 6. A unique ambulance service provided by Peerless Hospitex Hospital and Research Centre Limited, the IKBF 2024 Health Partner. 7. The CESC-created International Kolkata Book event 2024 Android app will be available to find any stand in the event. 8. Meghbela Broadband has been selected as Book Fair 2024's exclusive broadband partner. 9. We will extend hospitality to our international guests through our hospitality partner, Novotel Hotels and Residences. 10. In 2024, the International Kolkata Book Fair will bring together representatives from almost 20 different countries. 11. We are grateful to CESC for their unwavering collaboration. A tastefully designed CESC Corner will be available for distinguished Book Fair attendees. From then, a daily lottery will be conducted, and the lucky winners will receive a Book Gift Coupon worth Rs 15,000/-per day from CESC. "Buy books and win a Book Library" is a Guild project aimed at reaching out to more and more book lovers as a way of giving back to the community. There will be a "Book Bumper Library lottery," with prizes of a Book Gift Coupon worth Rs 25,000 for each winner. Smt. Bani Basu will receive the Dr Rama Prasad Goenka CESC Sristi Samman 2024 award. Through the Book Fair's website and social media pages, IKBF 2024 will be virtually present. Those who are remaining overseas can take advantage of Book Fair's online offerings. Sister Nivedita University is our only digital partner. At every book fair entry point, a unique digital ground map featuring the IKBF 2024 participant list will be accessible for the first time by simply scanning a QR code. The 10th edition of the Kolkata Literature Festival, which takes place over three days from January 26 to 28, 2024, within the SBI auditorium, will be the main draw of the International Kolkata Book Fair.
Pic : Courtesy
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