Kolkata: The advisory board which has been formed to guide the Kolkata book fair committee for organising the 50th International Kolkata Book Fair 2027, wants to have Israel as the theme country. The book fair will be held from Jan 22 to Feb 3, 2027. The 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram will be the primary theme of IKBF 2027.IKBF advisory board convener Prasenjit Bakshi on Monday said that IKBF 2027 will have several themes including the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, Partition Horrors, 100 years of Uttam Kumar, 200 years of Rajnarayan Basu, 150th year of Syama Prasad Mookerjee, 100 years of Raktakarabi, 100 years of Akashvani etc.“Regarding the theme of the book fair, there will be two aspects – the country and current events. As the main theme, the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram will be the primary theme. As the theme country, we want to highlight Israel as a friendly nation. Efforts will be made to contact them,” Bakshi said.According to the meetings held under the supervision of the CM’s chief adviser Subrata Gupta, from this year onwards, the book fair will be held as a joint initiative of the Guild, National Book Trust, and the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre.Officials said that regarding participation of Bangladesh, several objections already exist and allegations have come from a section of publishers themselves, particularly regarding piracy. “Regarding geopolitical situations, the ministry of external affairs of India alone can take a decision on this issue,” said an official.Officials said that a few days ago, a dispute occured over an advertisement that was published by the Publishers and Booksellers Guild, the organisers of IKBF over distribution of stalls. “NBT is an expert in organizing book fairs across different parts of India and the world. They also have an automation system. The state government will review this matter and take some important decisions. Our request to the publishers is to keep an eye on this advertisement. The focus would be on automation of stall distribution and financial transaction,” said an advisory board member.An official said that over the past 15 years, numerous allegations of irregularities surrounding the book fair have come to light. Allegations have also emerged regarding invisible pressure and involvement by the then ruling party surrounding the book fair organisation. Previously, court cases have been filed regarding publishers not getting space in this book fair. It would not be convenient for the new govt if nationalist and Hindutva publishers are kept away from the book fair. These issues are being looked into,” said a member of the advisory board, adding that it is expected that more publishers will be able to set up stalls.Guild general secretary Tridib Chatterjee said that the guild was preparing for the 50th IKBF according to the memorandum that has been set up in discussion with the state govt.
