Bangladeshi literature likely to remain absent from Kolkata’s cultural festivals

These developments assume significance considering the close cultural ties between West Bengal and Bangladesh

Bangladesh publishers will likely give the 48th International Kolkata Book Fair a miss, with organising committee officials still awaiting a decision from the Ministry of External Affairs.

“We have so far not received any directives from the Centre concerning Bangladesh’s participation in the upcoming book fair,” Tridib Chatterjee, President of the Publishers and Booksellers Guild, told The Hindu on Saturday. 

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“The decision and following steps will be taken by the Ministry of External Affairs. We realise there might be law and order risk during the fair, given the current geopolitical climate,” he added.

According to Mr. Chatterjee, Bangladeshi publishers have participated in the annual book fair event in Kolkata for 28 years, since 1996. “This would be the first time they might be absent, barring the two years that the book fair was not held,” he added.

This year, Germany has been selected as the theme country for the first time. 

Notably, in 2022, Bangladesh was given special focus in the International Kolkata Book Fair, on account of the 50th year of the Liberation War of Bangladesh. Every year, 45-odd publishers from the neighbouring country sell books at the book fair. 

The Guild president is confident that the absence of publishers from Bangladesh next year will not have an economic impact on book fair sales. 

“Albeit their absence will leave behind a vacuum, but just like any other vacuum, there would be plenty of other options to fill in for them,” Mr. Chatterjee said.

The International Kolkata Book Fair is an annual winter fair that witnesses a rendezvous of the city’s bibliophiles, writers, and booksellers. The 48th edition is slated to take place between January 28 and February 9, 2025, at Boimela Prangan in Salt Lake.

These developments assume significance considering the close cultural ties between West Bengal and Bangladesh and the recent geopolitical upheaval in the neighbouring country following former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s departure.

“These developments are extremely unfortunate. Irrespective of the political relationship between West Bengal and Bangladesh, our cultural relationship has sustained the test of time,” Pabitra Sarkar, a leading Bengali scholar and linguist, said. “The two regions share a great cultural legacy, we speak a common language and have had extensive intellectual exchange over the years.”

He added that there has been a lot of speculation in cultural circles surrounding possible security hazards in inviting participants from Bangladesh to Kolkata’s cultural events. 

“I believe this will have an economic impact on the cultural consumption in West Bengal. The situation in Bangladesh continues to be volatile, so it is unclear what the future holds,” Dr. Sarkar said.

Published - November 24, 2024 03:47 am IST