KOLKATA: Unless you have proof of double vaccination, you will not be allowed to enter the International
Kolkata Book Fair
this time. However, if vaccines for kids under 17 do not come in by the time the fair starts on January 31, they will be allowed in said authorities of the Publishers and Booksellers
Guild
on Friday while announcing the 45th edition of the fair.
If all goes well, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina might attend the fair since her country is the theme country of the fair this time. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee was about to invite her to the fair this year when it got cancelled because of Covid. The fair will celebrate the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman
and the golden jubilee year of the independence of Bangladesh.
The fair will be held at Salt Lake’s Central Park. Many alterations are being worked out by the Guild so that the fair, which will continue till February 13, can be safely held in these Covid times.
“We will have open stalls as far as possible and their size will be reduced to allow space for visitors to move around with social distancing in place,” said Tridib Chatterjee, general secretary of the Guild.
E-passes will be distributed to facilitate entry, automatically reducing crowding at the gates, it was said. These e-passes will be given from different online portals. “It is likely there will be a special entry channel for pass holders and it will stagger the crowd,” Chatterjee said, adding that it will take several more meetings with architects and members before finalising the fair design. Masks will be mandatory and hand sanitiser will be placed at vantage points.
For those who cannot physically attend the fair, the Guild will start a virtual fairground visit. A click of the mouse will allow them to “walk around” the fair and they might even be able to browse and order. “We will reveal this gradually. There’s a huge book fair fan population abroad who will be able to enjoy it on the virtual mode,” said Guild president
Sudhangshu Dey
.
In separate events, tributes will be paid to Pranab Mukherjee,
Soumitra Chattopadhyay,
Shankha Ghosh, Buddhadeb Guha, Buddhadeb Dasgupta and other noted personalities who have departed in the recent past.
The number of stalls is likely to remain 600 and the Guild has decided not to increase the fees this time. There is yet to be a decision on whether the number of food stalls will be reduced and whether only dry packets will be sold.