news of interest regarding boi mela

sadhuji

Every year there is a theme and a celebrity is invited to inaugurate the Fair. I have been able to lay my hands on some of this information pertaining to the last seven years. If anyone can fill in the blanks, it will be worth preserving. I have searched the net but am unable to locate the missing information.

1999 – Hon’bl’e Prime Minister of Bangladesh Shaikh Hasina
2000 – Latin America
2001 – Mr. Pere Vicens, President International Publishers Association, Geneva
2002 –Ms Rita Rehman, Minister and Deputy Head of Mission, Netherlands, located in New Delhi
2003 – Cuba – Louis Toledo Sande, Cuban national award winning writer
2004 – Chile
2005 – France – Daniel Pennac, writer.

***************

In 1983 there were 363 bookstalls. In 1995, this increased to 415 stalls and 125 umbrellas (to accommodate little magazines). In 2000, there were more than 700 publishers. Improvements are being continuously introduced to make it more attractive to the participants and visitors. In 1996, an air-conditioned hall was set up for conducting seminars, in 1998 a children’s pavilion was started and in 1999, an Indian pavilion named ‘ADDA’. Also, senior citizens are not required to pay any admission fees provided they carry with them proof of age.

***************

And to end today’s session, a small sample of what Bengalis feel they are good at. I am a bit old fashioned. To me poetry must have some sort of rhyme, that is what sets it apart from prose -

Kolkata means Kalighat, Kolkata means Boi Mela
Only city in the World where you aren’t ever akela
Lonesome you’ll never feel once you enter the ground
Kalidas, Tagore and Ray all wait with jackets bound
Admission is open to each and every booklover
That is the slogan – ‘love books or just move over’.
All types and sizes of books yell for attention
Books are the only subject deserving special mention
Old editions spruced up alongside new paperbacks
In between we have the counters for tea and snacks
Meeting place for new gen kids free from mundane tasks
Eyes roving here and there searching for fancy masks
License to touch, browse or buy and enjoy the fair
Again it will reappear only after another year.

(to be continued…)

sadhuji

As mentioned earlier, the inauguration was done by Daniel Pennac, the French writer in the presence of the Chief Minister Sri Buddhadev Bhattacharji and the French Ambassador Dominique Girard. The Ambassador said – ‘Dublin is the city of James Joyce, Paris is the city of Balzac and Kolkata is the city of Rabindra Nath and Satyajit Ray.’ The Chief Minister said that several French authors have been translated into Bengali. He was convinced that even in the age of internet, books have a special place in everybody’s lives. Daniel Pennac declared open the mela by sounding the gong and saying ‘let us celebrate the power of words.’

*************

Since this is the 50th year of Satyajit Ray’s film ‘Pather Panchali’ (‘song of the road’) a special pavilion has been created. It displays the model of a vintage railway engine and bogie of the 50s. The film, an adaptation of a novel of the same name written by Bibhuti Bhusan Bandopadhaya brought international recognition to Satyajit Ray in the Cannes Film Festival of 1956. The 115 minute film in black and white displays the best of film making and direction. Ray’s eyes for tiny details were an exceptional feature of the film. The scene in which the children Durga and Apu run to watch a train go by emitting smoke lingers on long after the film ends.

To rekindle old memories, Smt Uma Sengupta, who played the role of Durga in the film, was invited to the Fair. She faced the TV cameras and talked briefly about the film.

*************

As is known, this is probably the last year that the fair will be able to boast of such a large layout in terms of area. Owing to a recent directive of the Honorable Court, this and other fairs like this are to be relocated in other parts of the city to preserve the greenery of the Maidan and rid the open spaces of pollution. The noted writer Sunil Gangopadhaya, when asked by a lady journalist to comment on this, said – ‘we may have to consider going up – like the skyscraper’.

(to be continued……)

sadhuji

The weather played spoilsport in Kolkata Boi Mela 2005 on Friday and Saturday. The weekend, for which the Kolkattans were so eagerly waiting for, passed into oblivion without registering anything worthwhile, leaving book lovers disappointed, to say the least. They were denied their pounds of unlimited enjoyment. The sudden unseasonal showers caught the organizers unawares. In the midst of happiness suddenly there descended chaos, people ran for cover in the shelters of the temporary book stalls getting drenched to the skin. To add to the mayhem, the electric supply had to be disconnected because, the cables had been exposed due to the sudden and heavy torrential downpour.

But – the organizers maintained their cool.

A Seminar programmed to be held, in which leading littérateurs of Bengal and France were scheduled to speak, was held – albeit in candle light. Hand it to Kolkattans to never get unnerved.

The Seminar was held in the ‘Desh’ pavilion – ‘Desh’ and the woman’s wing of FICCI had arranged for the seminar. Speakers included Sunil Gangopadhaya, Dominic Fernandez, Joy Goswami, Daniel Pennac and Tilottama Majumdar among others. The subject was – ‘the changes in the concept of love and their reflections on literature’. There was constant interaction between the participants and the audience in which the translators played a vital role. The 76 year old French novelist Dominic Fernandez agreed that the meaning of ‘love’ has changed dramatically in the last 30 years. ‘Love’ today means not just a close bond between a man and a woman but also a bond between two persons of the same sex. Sunil Gangopadhaya commented that the meaning of ‘love’ is changing in India also but here there is still some conservativeness. Joy Goswami said that women today have become much bolder while penning down ‘love’ related poetry. Tilottama Majumdar, a representative of modern day writer said that in today’s world, ‘love’ does not necessarily mean two bodies coming together but something beyond that. Today, love is a bond of mutual trust, interdependence and a search for shelter. To the new generation, friendship has taken on a different meaning.

(to be continued….)

sadhuji

With the organizers advancing entry to the Kolkata Boi Mela by 2 hours everyday in view of the loss of two precious days viz. Friday and Saturday, obviously, the Sunday was chock full of booklovers who swarmed all over the fair grounds like bees around a beehive. In addition, it was celebrated as a day where prominence was given to children – a child was drawn around in a palanquin, to publicize this fact.

All the participants were of the opinion that the loss of two vital days cannot be compensated by extending the fair timings by two hours everyday – even if the fair gates were thrown open at 12, people started to come in only by around two. Similarly, extending the fair by a couple of days is also impractical because many participants come from outside Kolkata and their travel plans are finalized much in advance. Hence, the loss remains unrecoverable.

There was a pair of young boys who went around the fair grounds walking on stilts. They had posters of books hung around their necks and, in this age of marketing, proved that people literally look up to them to know about the latest books doing the rounds. It transpired that these boys earned around five hundred rupees per day for exhibiting their special skills for the duration of the fair.

One of the stalls was devoted to books in Braille for the blind booklovers.
The Kolkata Police stall, set up with the intention of bringing the common man closer to the Police displayed rare photographs and arms and ammunitions used by the revolutionaries during the freedom struggle. Also, there were exhibits of various police equipment and books written by members of the Police force.

Similarly, the stall of Prasar Bharati had on display CDs and cassettes of old songs and dances preserved over the ages.

In addition, there were groups of youngsters strumming their guitars and singing songs – crowds surrounded them chanting ‘yeh dil maange more’.

Of course, the undisputed attraction was the ‘Food Park’ patronized by people of all ages, where people thronged in hundreds to taste their favorite dishes – as some one casually remarked: ‘this should be rechristened as the Food Fair instead Book Fair’!

(to be continued…)

sadhuji

I still remember my first association with this gigantic event.

It was in 1993 that a couple of my friends and I decided to participate in the fair and not go there just as a visitor.

When we sent our request for allotment of a stall, we were apprehensive – it had been given to understand that, due to limited number of stalls, these were allotted based on recommendations. However, our allotment came almost immediately without involvement of any third party. Probably the novelty of getting a Bengali publisher from outside Bengal to participate in the fair was the deciding factor for the Committee.

All of us were into writing and, being Bengalis, we naturally honed our skills in little magazines that we produced ourselves. We used to stay in Maharastra and, Bengali printing facilities outside Bengal was unheard of in those days. Therefore, one of us who had a good handwriting would transcribe the matter on to cyclostyling stencils from which we would take prints, then bind them into book form and distribute them among friends. In return, we would collect some subscription to cover expenses. The periodicity of these magazines was ‘as and when ready!!’ We always had a stream of writers waiting to see their names in print. We continued such literary pursuits until one day a friend came and informed that Bengali language font could be arranged and we could print our magazines right here in Maharastra. It was something revolutionary. We immediately sat down to work out the pros and cons, especially of the Finances involved. If we were really able to get this off the ground, we would be considered as pioneers in the field, we would be able to nurture a lot of hidden talent. The gentleman who we were banking upon agreed to include Bengali fonts along with his own Marathi, Hindi and Gujarati fonts. Thereby, we would have to share only one fourth the cost of the complete package. We agreed to pool our resources and arrange to procure the package.

Then came the difficult part of learning something that was totally alien to us.

We were no typists and our knowledge of computers was also very limited. But, undaunted, we accepted the challenge, learnt how to type the language characters, how to compose a page, how to edit them, how to introduce special effects – and then, one fine day, we released our magazine in the market. We had a ready local market and, to cover expenses, we relied upon advertisements of our local patrons.

Thus, in 1992, we entered the print market and, with a couple of issues of the magazine under our belt, we got the inspiration to move on to something bigger, something we never thought could materialize.

We decided to publish books – Bengali books from, of all places, Nasik.

(to be continued…..)

sadhuji

Once the decision was taken, the three of us along with some more interested friends picked a set of our best writings and started the ball rolling by data entry work. The setup that we had was located in the city proper and the place where we stayed was approximately 20 Kms. away. So, in the evenings, after finishing our regular work, we would make a beeline for doing the data entry work. We used to work up to 10 in the night. We were fortunate to have a person who had come from Kolkata looking for a suitable job. We roped him in to assist in the data entry work since he was already in that line. In due course of time, the basic work was complete. We sent the material for the first book to the press (photo offset press) and, took up work on the second one. Our intentions were to attend the Kolkata Book Fair with at least two books and the magazines. Accordingly, we applied for allotment of a Stall. Simultaneously, we arranged for finance from various sources and, one fine day, in January-1993, we landed in Howrah station with luggage comprising Books, Magazines, brochures and plenty of hopes.
The experience was something that is difficult to describe. The innumerable incidents that we faced during travel could be enough material for a full length novel! People gawked at us, some thought us to be weirdoes, the Police wanted to see what we were carrying in the boxes – to convince them we had to rely on monetary incentives. When we finally landed at Howrah Station, we were mobbed by the porters. Fortunately, we had some local friends waiting for us; therefore, we were spared more tortures.

When we arrived at the Fair grounds to take over our stall, the decorators, the electrician, the agent who supplied furniture all came over to size us up. The news that we were from Maharastra had already spread like wild fire and they were waiting for their pound of flesh. A tiny hundred square feet stall is all that we could afford – the smallest type. It was totally bare and the Publishers were supposed to cover and decorate it in whichever way it suits him. Therefore, our local contacts came into play. We discussed how best to put up a reasonably good show with the barest minimum of investments and, by the time the inauguration took place, we had arrived.

Our Stall number was ‘921’ – it appeared auspicious enough!

The amount of money and efforts that went into creating these temporary stalls that would be pulled down after ten days was mind boggling. There were people who undertook any type of work that would add to the attractions of the stalls. They were everywhere – ready to extend assistance, of course against suitable remuneration. Kolkata is a place where master craftsmen have perfected the art of replicating almost any important structure or landmark – in whichever part of the World it may exist. Their creations are what Bengali festivals are all about. The Boi Mela is no exception. The two storied building created for a leading Bank is in itself proof of what they are capable of.

Then there were the artists who could work wonders with thermocole sheets – designs, letterings: you name it, they produce it.

Each Publisher, also, had his own ideas – those who were in this business for years on end had an envious entourage of assistants. Those to whom this was a family business had the second generation and third generation products to learn and get acquainted with the basics.

We only watched and hoped that one day we could also afford such luxuries.

(to be contd ….)

sadhuji

How was our experience that first time?

Well – it was a rewarding experience, to say the least. The three of us stayed in different parts of Kolkata – we had to assemble every day by 1.30 pm at the gate of the fair. One of us would, then, proceed to the stall to open the counters and hold fort till the other two joined. The other two, meanwhile, would distribute leaflets to the people who were waiting for tickets at the gate. We took it in turns. Advertisement is something that is very essential. The message had to go out. We had taken two types of advertising material with us. Single sheet pamphlets and folders. The folders we used to distribute to those who visited the stalls – leaflets to the people at the gate, waiting to purchase tickets and enter the fair grounds.

Our personal approach impressed the visitors. We were asked innumerable questions; the fact that modern day technology made it possible for printing any matter from any where was in itself a revelation to many.

The time, it must be remembered, was 1993 – a good 12 years back.

Language typing was just taking off – some reputed publishers had made a start. Those who could handle DTP work in the regional languages were gaining importance. Obviously, curiosity pulled most of the visitors to our stall. We did not have very many products to offer but, with whatever we did have, we built up a rapport of sorts with many persons. We met people who come to this mela regularly but do not stay in Kolkata. They were writers who reside elsewhere but who had publishers in Kolkata to look after their interests – hence, this annual pilgrimage. Yes, it was indeed a pilgrimage of sorts for those with a creative bent of mind.

And then there were the cultural programs. A golden chance to rub shoulders with those who have the power to visualize the extraordinary – yes, writers are no ordinary mortals. We missed out on them because, with only three of us to manage the complete show, we had to forego what normal visitors preferred – meeting real life authors, taking part in discussions, talking to them. But – the loss was made good by new contacts that we developed. We had a number of visitors, mostly Maharastrians residing in Kolkata, who came to our stall searching for Marathi books. When they discovered that we had brought Bengali books from Maharastra, they were disappointed. Then we had children asking whether we had books for them – unfortunately, we did not. That disappointed them also. In spite of so many disappointed visitors, we did have a large group of writers who wanted to become a part of our combine. They all wanted to write for our magazine – and, every day, they would come over, chit-chat and, while leaving, would hand over their poems or short story or essays. We had taken a bold step of setting sail in uncharted waters.

The theme for 1993 was Orissa.

somnath

Hi,
very good posts Sadhuji. just an addition, I know u r aware of it but it may be helpful to others .

http://kolkatabookfaironline.com/

website for Kolkata boi mela.

- Somnath

manbil777

Very good posts.

I think from now on WB Govt. should start planning a covered venue for this gigantic fair.

It is no longer appropriate to let a little thing like weather spoil something so important. Maybe a large circus tent thing could be a stopgap measure.

Does Kolkata have a convention center ??

sadhuji

until now, all fairs used to be held in the maidan. this large stretch of open land is the property of the indian army and, due to pollution, the hon'ble court has directed that all fairs are to be moved out from this place.

the book fair will, probably, shift to the bypass - a large area has been earmarked beside the 'sonar bangla' hotel for it. but, old habits die hard and it may take some time for people to get used to the new location.