Since India’s first-ever book fair was held in 1918 in the city, the Kolkata Book Fair has grown in both scale and significance.
At book fairs, one can see people strolling from one stall to another, searching for author-signed copies, unique covers, classic editions, and perhaps a tempting 10 per cent discount. For book lovers, it is a magical time of the year when book fairs spring up across the country, including Kolkata.
The boi mela, or book fair, holds a uniquely special place in the hearts of Bengalis. More than just a marketplace for books, it is deeply rooted in the city’s legacy of reading, intellectual exchange, and knowledge-sharing. Moreover, Kolkata boasts the honour of hosting the country’s oldest book exhibition, a cornerstone of its vibrant cultural landscape.
Origins of book fair in Colonial India
In their 2021 work Anthology of Significant Events in Indian Art & Socio-Cultural History 1850-2015, Roop Narayan Batham and Nimisha Kesarwani highlight that India’s first-ever book fair was held in 1918 at College Street in Calcutta, as the city was known then. The event at the heart of West Bengal’s educational and publishing industry was overseen by prominent figures such as Rabindranath Tagore, Lala Lajpat Rai, Gurudas Banerjee, Bepinchandra Pal, and Aurobindo Ghosh, among others.
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Organised by the National Council of Education (NCE), which referred to the event as a book exhibition, the fair took place at the site where Goenka College of Commerce stands today in Bow Bazar, a locality in central Kolkata. Founded in 1906, NCE emerged in response to the British decision to divide Bengal. It was among the first institutions to promote the ‘Make in India’ initiative, aiming to provide scientific and technological education to youth as part of the broader Swadeshi movement. NCE sought to demonstrate that India was capable of offering modern education independently, countering colonial authority.
The book fair proved to be a source of inspiration for several notable figures, including economist Benoy Kumar Sarkar, who, in the 1940s, published works like Education for Industrialisation.
New era of Indian publishing
In the early 1970s, a group of literature enthusiasts, mostly publishers, frequently met at the Coffee House on College Street to discuss the Frankfurt Book Fair. Inspired by this commercial event, they envisioned creating a similar fair in Kolkata, hoping to provide a space for book lovers to share ideas and boost the local publishing industry.
“After two or three years of discussion,” says Arabinda Das Gupta, owner of the 137-year-old bookstore Das Gupta and Company on College Street, “the idea took shape in 1975, aiming to bring both domestic and foreign publishers to the city.”
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In 1976, 34 publishers set up 56 stalls near the iconic Victoria Memorial. Inaugurated on March 5, the 10-day event, which concluded on March 14, drew book lovers who paid a 50 paisa entry fee. The fair’s success in its inaugural year highlighted the need for a larger venue.
In 1982, Peter Withers, director of the Frankfurt Book Fair, visited Kolkata, and by 1983, the Kolkata Book Fair received its first international accreditation. As the fair expanded, it moved to the spacious Maidan grounds in central Kolkata to accommodate the growing number of publishers.
More from Express Research | Snehalata Mukhopadhyay: The teen whose dowry death shook 20th-century Bengal into action
In 1997, tragedy struck when a devastating fire destroyed 100,000 books, causing significant losses. “We lost books worth 80,000 that year,” recalls Das Gupta. However, the venue was reconstructed in just three days, and the fair resumed. The following year, heavy rain caused further damage to books, although insurance covered the publishers’ losses.
Despite these setbacks, the fair demonstrated remarkable resilience. 1999 marked a significant milestone, with Bangladesh as the theme and a visit from Sheikh Hasina, the then prime minister of the neighbouring, who returned to Kolkata after 27 years.
Over the years, the Kolkata Book Fair has grown in both scale and significance, evolving into a major cultural hub in South Asia and beyond. It continues to attract large audiences and expand its influence year after year. This year, the fair will highlight Germany as the country of focus.
At book fairs, one can see people strolling from one stall to another, searching for author-signed copies, unique covers, classic editions, and perhaps a tempting 10 per cent discount. For book lovers, it is a magical time of the year when book fairs spring up across the country, including Kolkata.
The boi mela, or book fair, holds a uniquely special place in the hearts of Bengalis. More than just a marketplace for books, it is deeply rooted in the city’s legacy of reading, intellectual exchange, and knowledge-sharing. Moreover, Kolkata boasts the honour of hosting the country’s oldest book exhibition, a cornerstone of its vibrant cultural landscape.
Origins of book fair in Colonial India
In their 2021 work Anthology of Significant Events in Indian Art & Socio-Cultural History 1850-2015, Roop Narayan Batham and Nimisha Kesarwani highlight that India’s first-ever book fair was held in 1918 at College Street in Calcutta, as the city was known then. The event at the heart of West Bengal’s educational and publishing industry was overseen by prominent figures such as Rabindranath Tagore, Lala Lajpat Rai, Gurudas Banerjee, Bepinchandra Pal, and Aurobindo Ghosh, among others.
Advertisement
Organised by the National Council of Education (NCE), which referred to the event as a book exhibition, the fair took place at the site where Goenka College of Commerce stands today in Bow Bazar, a locality in central Kolkata. Founded in 1906, NCE emerged in response to the British decision to divide Bengal. It was among the first institutions to promote the ‘Make in India’ initiative, aiming to provide scientific and technological education to youth as part of the broader Swadeshi movement. NCE sought to demonstrate that India was capable of offering modern education independently, countering colonial authority.
The book fair proved to be a source of inspiration for several notable figures, including economist Benoy Kumar Sarkar, who, in the 1940s, published works like Education for Industrialisation.
New era of Indian publishing
In the early 1970s, a group of literature enthusiasts, mostly publishers, frequently met at the Coffee House on College Street to discuss the Frankfurt Book Fair. Inspired by this commercial event, they envisioned creating a similar fair in Kolkata, hoping to provide a space for book lovers to share ideas and boost the local publishing industry.
“After two or three years of discussion,” says Arabinda Das Gupta, owner of the 137-year-old bookstore Das Gupta and Company on College Street, “the idea took shape in 1975, aiming to bring both domestic and foreign publishers to the city.”
Advertisement
In 1976, 34 publishers set up 56 stalls near the iconic Victoria Memorial. Inaugurated on March 5, the 10-day event, which concluded on March 14, drew book lovers who paid a 50 paisa entry fee. The fair’s success in its inaugural year highlighted the need for a larger venue.
In 1982, Peter Withers, director of the Frankfurt Book Fair, visited Kolkata, and by 1983, the Kolkata Book Fair received its first international accreditation. As the fair expanded, it moved to the spacious Maidan grounds in central Kolkata to accommodate the growing number of publishers.
More from Express Research | Snehalata Mukhopadhyay: The teen whose dowry death shook 20th-century Bengal into action
In 1997, tragedy struck when a devastating fire destroyed 100,000 books, causing significant losses. “We lost books worth 80,000 that year,” recalls Das Gupta. However, the venue was reconstructed in just three days, and the fair resumed. The following year, heavy rain caused further damage to books, although insurance covered the publishers’ losses.
Despite these setbacks, the fair demonstrated remarkable resilience. 1999 marked a significant milestone, with Bangladesh as the theme and a visit from Sheikh Hasina, the then prime minister of the neighbouring, who returned to Kolkata after 27 years.
Over the years, the Kolkata Book Fair has grown in both scale and significance, evolving into a major cultural hub in South Asia and beyond. It continues to attract large audiences and expand its influence year after year. This year, the fair will highlight Germany as the country of focus.
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