The book fair trail with Koushik and Riddhi

I am visiting boimela with baba after two years. This time he’s going to be my guide. Thanks to CT for organising this,” said actor Riddhi Sen who was more than excited to explore the 49th International Kolkata Book Fair with his dad Koushik Sen. Walking beside his father with two newly gifted books, Riddhi felt at home at the boimela.” For the father-son duo, both of whom are ardent bookworms, this field trip was like taking a trip down memory lane. Read on to know about their day.

A city that refuses to let go of books
“I’m grateful to my parents for nurturing my reading habit from childhood,” said Riddhi. Koushik added: “It’s reassuring to witness the charm of the boimela that’s reinventing itself through an exciting culmination of veteran and new authors.” This year, the fair began for Riddhi with the inauguration of actor-director-singer-songwriter Anirban Bhattacharya’s first book as an author, where he also spoke about it at the seminar that followed.

Father-son walk side by side
“Strolling from one stall to another, discussing books and memories, noticing the pure joy in my father’s eyes is truly special,” said Riddhi excited to get his hands on new books. The two inspected Amitav Ghosh’s Ghost Eye & The Hungry Tide, and Koushik swiftly bought both for his son. “I feel like a child again,” said Riddhi with a smile.

Growing up with cinema, books and choice
Riddhi credits his parents for imbibing in him a strong cultural influence. His mom let him into the magic of cinema, while his dad walked him into the world of books. One of the best periods of his life, as Riddhi puts it, was being quarantined at home when he got chicken pox. “Ma introduced me to The Godfather and The Lion King to Ben-Hur,” said Riddhi.

Flipping through memories
Reminiscing about coming to the book fair, Koushik shared, “Discovering books hand-in-hand with my wife Reshmi (Sen) was our perfect date. When we went through financial hardships, she’d always set aside a small sum so I could buy books at boimela.” Riddhi said: “This year, watching baba sign books as multi-generational crowds queued — even on a working Tuesday — felt heartening,” said Riddhi.

Ma-Baba never forced their tastes on me. They allowed me to make my own choices – be it a book I wanted to read or a screenplay I wanted to reject– Riddhi Sen
Growing up in theatre took literature beyond textbooks. Even today, the feel, smell and joy of physical books remain
irreplaceable – Koushik Sen
It’s a misconception that Gen Z doesn’t read - Koushik Sen

Only in Kolkata do you see people queuing up for books on a Tuesday - Riddhi Sen
Pix: Anindya Saha
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