The Hindu : Other States / West Bengal News : Kolkata book fair opens after short-circuit scare

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Monday, Jan 31, 2005

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Kolkata book fair opens after short-circuit scare

By Our Special Correspondent

KOLKATA, JAN. 30. The 30th Kolkata Book Fair, said to be among the biggest in the world, reopened here today, a day after the West Bengal Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, visited the fair grounds and took stock of the fire-prevention arrangements.

An electrical short-circuiting outside one of the stalls following sudden rain on Friday prompted the organisers — the Publishers and Booksellers' Guild — to close the fair to the public yesterday. "We spent the entire day checking on the electrical wiring and carrying out necessary repairs," the secretary of the Guild, Tridib Chatterjee, told The Hindu .

The memory of the fire at the Book Fair in 1997 which destroyed several stalls and thousands of books, is still fresh in the minds of the authorities.

"A forecast of a depression and rain for the next 48 hours by the Alipore Meterological office also compelled us to keep the fair closed yesterday," Mr. Chatterjee said. Water had seeped into about 40 stalls on Friday. "We just could not take any chances, what with the hundreds of book stalls and the slushy conditions on the ground beneath which are laid the cable lines," Mr. Chatterjee said. "About 500 electricians are on the job to ensure there is no mishap."

The fair is spread across 8,00,000 sq. ft. of the city's Maidan. There are about 600 book stalls and about 200 stalls for little magazines. "The total attendance last year was 2.2 million and the sales worth nearly Rs. 18 crores. The fair is the largest of its kind in the world which allows for interaction between publishers and readers," Mr. Chatterjee said. The fair attracted about 3 lakh bibliophiles when it opened on January 26.

However, there are apprehensions that this could be the last time the fair is being held in the Maidan — venue for the past three decades — as there are plans to shift it next year to a permanent site in another part of the city.

Publishers from abroad

Publishers from Spain, Sweden and France are also participating in the fair, the theme country being France. A replica of the Eiffel Tower has been set up near the entrance. "Next year we plan to have Spain as the guest-of-honour country in view of the wide popularity of Spanish Literature in the city," Mr. Chatterjee said. Pavilions and stalls with books from 18 countries have been set up at the fair.

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Kolkata book fair opens after short-circuit scare