Mamata to open Kolkata international book fair on Thursday

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will inaugurate the 49th Kolkata International Book Fair on 22 January at Boimela Prangan in Salt Lake.

Gustavo Canzobre, Tagore scholar from Argentina along with Mariano Agustin Caucino, Ambassador of Argentina will be present at the inaugural programme.

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Noted Bengali litterateur Swapnomoy Chakraborty will be conferred Guild Lifetime Literary award worth Rs 2 lakh.

Senior citizen’s day will be observed on 30 January. Poet Mridul Dasgupta, publisher Rajendra Kumar Mehta of Rupa will be felicitated.

The two day Kolkata Literary Festival will be held on 24-25 January. Amitav Ghosh will present the Samaresh Majumdar prize to Goutam Ghose. On 25 January, the students of Sister Nivedita University and Adamas University will present musical programmes.

The KIBF is the biggest festival in Bengal after Durga Puja. Entry to the Boimela Prangan is free.

China will take part in the Book Fair after 2011. There will be an exhibition on Uttam Kumar. The centenary of Bhupen Hazarika, Salil Chowdhury and Maheshweta Devi will be observed. There will be around 1,000 stalls including food stalls.

Elaborate police arrangements have been made to assist the visitors at the Book Fair ground. Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation officials today visited the fair ground and oversaw the last-minute work.

The Chief Minister has allotted a portion of the Central Park where Boimela Prangan has come up. Arrangements have been made to park four and two wheelers.