The Mecca of publishers, book lovers and students, the Book Fair held in early February is a place that

every family
in Kolkata makes a beeline for. It is the world's largest non-trade book fair, Asia's largest book fair and the most
attended book fair in the world. It is the world's third largest annual conglomeration of books after the Frankfurt Book
Fair and the London Book Fair. The fair showcases the best of not just Indian publishers, but also bookseller, writers
and bibliophiles from all corners of the globe. Great discounts are offered on a mind-boggling collection of titles as
visitors to the fair wend their way in and out of the colorful stalls, stopping every now and then to grab a bite, get their
portraits painted or just listen to the music filtering through the fair grounds.

The lyric of Kolkata International Book Fair 2011 theme song is Oi Dakse boi, jeno patai patai likha onek kotha (In
Bengali, regional language of Kolkata) and it’s a very appealing song. Countries participated this year were:

Bangladesh
Britain
China
The book fair was started on a small scale in 1976 by the Kolkata
Germany
Publishers' and Booksellers' Guild. From 2009, the fair is being
The African Union held in its new location at "Milan Mela" near Science City. Before it
used to be held in the Maidan, Kolkata's large urban park. The fair
USA (Theme Country)
started on 26th January and will end on 6th Feb, 2011. United
Spain States of America has been selected the focal theme country for
the 2011 Book Fair. Different kinds of national and international
Italy
books for diverse age groups were exhibited in the event. Books
Mongolia on information, academics, entertainment banking, sociology,
philosophy, literature, child development, health, medicine,
Sweden
engineering, tourism, management, agriculture and IT have been
14 Latin American Countries showcased. The main attraction of this year’s Book Fair was NO
ENTRY FEE for the book lovers due to the celebration of 150th
Vietnam
year of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s birth day.. This was a big
Cuba boon for the KOLKATTANS.

This is the 35th book fair held in Kolkata and me as a book lover
took some spare time from my busy schedule and rush to the Milan Mela Complex to be a part of Kolkata Book Fair
2011, officially Kolkata Boimela or Kolkata Pustakmela. I brought some books I was longing from long ago. One of
them was (THE DAIRY OF A YOUNG GIRL, by Anne Frank), which there I got in 10% discount. When my hands
were full of books I went to a food stall and enjoyed some fast food too. My heart was little low when I was coming
back from Book Fair, but all good things come to end sooner or later so I said goodbye to the book fair and promise
myself to be a part of Kolkata Book fair next year too.