Kolkata to host web magazine fair

Kolkata is all set to host a web magazine fair Saturday that will bring together 40 online portals from India and abroad.

Titled 'Bengal Web Fair', the day-long exhibition, in its second year, will provide a common platform to a concoction of online magazines themed on sports, travel, literature, and art and culture for their promotion.

Included among them are two portals from Mumbai and a Bangladesh online news agency.

"Besides electronic magazines on sports, travel and literature, there will be online TV and radio channels as well. The idea is to showcase them to the public so that they get to know that there are online magazines," the fair's general secretary Manas Banerjee told IANS.

Participants from Mumbai include 'Films and TV World' whereas Bangladesh will be represented by banglanews24.com.

Prominent among the Bengali websites is a poetry archive, called kobitaclub.com launched by Surajit of the popular Bangla band Bhoomi.

As a sideshow to the fair, a documentary and short film festival will also be held in an alliance with Bhopal's Lakecity International Short Film Festival (LISFF) - Madhya Pradesh's only such film fest.

Jointly organised by NGO Desham and literature portal asmania.org, the fair will be held at Eastern Zonal Cultural Complex in the satellite township of Salt Lake.