Guild hopeful of stemming demonetisation blues in Kol Bk Fair

The Publishers and Booksellers' Guild is hopeful of stemming 30 per cent post-demonetisation slide in different district book fairs in the last two months of 2016 in the upcoming annual International Book Fair where SBI has extended all help to the organisers and participants, Guild General Secretary Tridib Chatterjee said today.
"At smaller book fairs organised in districts and suburbs in different parts of West Bengal in the last two months of 2016, participants had experienced 30 per cent drop in sales, which we are confident to bridge in the 41st International Kolkata Book Fair as we are looking forward to higher footfall in this edition," Chatterjee told reporters.

The senior Guild official, who was addressing a press meet flanked by State Bank of India, CESC Ltd and heritage partner West Bengal Khadi and Village Industries Board officials, said SBI has extended all help to make seamless monetary transaction at the fair, which has Costa Rica as the focal theme country this year.
The fair will be held from January 25 to February 5 with Costarican author Roxana Pinto Lopez sharing dias with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the inaugural ceremony on January 25.
SBI CGM (East) Pratha Pratim Sengupta said there will be six cash vans with POS machines in each which will aaccept debit cards of any bank and book lovers can buy books/items worth Rs 2,000 each day.

Besides, people can make purchases through currency as usual while publishers can take small coins/currency through the SBI branch extension counter in the fair ground, through their current account, Sengupta said.

"There will be steps to download SBIBUDDY mobile application seamlessly to ensure there are no glitches in our very dear book festival, which is famed all over the world," he said.
Chatterjee said besides Costarica, an art loving nation, writers from eight countries - Greece, Scotland, Australia, Egypt, USA, Bangladesh and Spain - will be attending lectures at the Kolkata Literature festival at the Book Fair, which will take place from February 2 to 4.

Five halls of the Book Fair, hosting mainly English publications, have been named after stalwarts like Mahasweta Devi, Syed Samsul Haque, Umberto Eco among others.
In a 360 degree change in the layout plan of the fair, small regional publishers have been alloted ready-to-use stalls at prime locations on the fair ground at a subsidised rate in AC hangars, Chatterjee said.
The fair, the largest one of its kind in the world in terms of public participation, will have 600 stalls and 200 little magazine koisks.
"The Book Fair gives us an opportunity to promote regional book industry globally and we remain commited," Chatterjee added.