It may be too late now for Indian publishers to make arrangements to participate in the Amar Ekushey Boi Mela in February in Bangladesh, but perhaps that will happen in 2024. That said, the Bangladesh Boi Bela, which runs the entire month of February, may be too demanding for Indian publishers used to shorter duration events.
While India-Pakistan cultural exchanges remain fraught with tension, the India and Bangladesh publishing sectors are increasingly working together to take full advantage of the shared language that Bangladesh and a large part of India’s West Bengal have in common,
So it should come as no surprise that the Bangladesh Book Fair, held in Kolkata, India from December 2 through 11, attracted an impressive crowd, and saw over 30,000 books sold.
The book fair was organised by the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission, the Bangladeshi Raftani Unnayan Bureau and the Bangladesh Pustak Prakashak O Bikreta Samity (Bangladesh Publishers and Booksellers Association).
Talks are now being held with the Publishers and Booksellers’ Guild of Kolkata to jointly hold book fairs in Dhaka and Kolkata in the future.
It may be too late now for Indian publishers to make arrangements to participate in the Amar Ekushey Boi Mela in February in Bangladesh, but perhaps that will happen in 2024. That said, the Bangladesh Boi Bela, which runs the entire month of February, may be too demanding for Indian publishers used to shorter duration events.
