The United Kingdom will seek to strengthen the historic British-Bengal ties by promoting itself at the Kolkata Book Fair — where it happens to be the theme country this year — as a nation that is “open, inclusive and diverse”.
The event — easily the most popular in Kolkata after Durga Puja — begins on Thursday and will last until January 31. With over 1,000 stalls being set up at the venue, this year’s fair is the largest in its 47-year history.
“The link between UK and India, and Bengal and Britain, has been very long and Kolkata has been at the centre of the relationship historically. We will seek to create opportunities for young people in both the countries to get to know each other better through the world of idea, the world of letters, the world of education and culture, through creative economy,” Debanjan Chakrabarti, director of the British Council in East and Northeast India, who is responsible for organising the country’s participation at the 2024 book fair, said.
“We have put together the theme country pavilion, which is probably the largest pavilion, standing on an area of 500 sq. m. It will represent both traditional and contemporary UK, and its design and features will attract visitors and draw them in. Inside we will have an interactive exhibition called the Future of English, which is the result of a three-year research of the British Council across the world. The exhibition will be held subsequently in Chennai and New Delhi,” Mr. Chakrabarti said.
In essence, he said, the British Council will be promoting UK as a world-class study destination for young Indian students, a country that’s “open, inclusive and diverse — an incredibly attractive place for young Indians to study in, work in, and live in”.
Mr. Chakrabarti, who spent his formative years in what was then Calcutta, has rich memories of attending the book fair ever since he was a child, and at a time when the UK is the theme country in the event, he not only happens to be heading the British Council in east and northeast India but even the British Council is marking 75 years in India.
About 20 British authors and speakers are in Kolkata for the book fair, and they will be participating in at least 35 events inside and outside the event. The visiting authors include Sebastian Faulks, Meghnad Desai, Kishwar Desai, Nandini Das, and Roma Agarwal.
“The idea is to scale up the presence and profile of UK and provide a springboard for public diplomacy in this very important city in India and broadly across the east. We will showcase our partnership across the fields of educations and arts and creative economy and English language on a platform that is an absolute magnet for young people and early-career professionals,” Mr. Chakrabarti said.
