Kolkata’s iconic College Street was submerged in knee-deep water on Tuesday after heavy rainfall, leaving bookstores, presses, and binding houses struggling to cope.
The flooding comes days ahead of Durga Puja, a critical period for the city’s book trade.
At Dhyanbindu bookstore, water had entered the shop, damaging new stock. The owners described the situation on Facebook: "Today, suddenly, new books got spoiled by water, causing us some distress and financial loss. Friends, please stay by our side so that Dhyanbindu can get back on track."
They also urged customers who had placed online orders to stay in touch while operations continue as much as possible.
The wider impact on the book market is severe.
According to Bulbul Islam of Nabajatak Prakashan, the heavy waterlogging has caused “catastrophic damage to the book market, far more than in previous instances.”
He explained that both new and old stocks, including Durga Puja magazines, have been ruined. Presses and binding houses are also affected.
Many workers who were running shifts day and night now face the challenge of reprinting and rebinding soaked stock in a very limited timeframe.
Islam said, “Books supplied to various Durga Puja book stalls have been ruined, many while in bound form. This means new books will have to be bound and supplied again. Entire pre-bound stocks are lost.”
Deep Prakashan appealed for support on social media, stating, "We hope you will stand by us during this extremely difficult time. We have faced a lot of damage and loss."
The downpour has also threatened Mandas, another longstanding bookstore. One person from there wrote on Facebook, "Mandas is devastated by this natural disaster. Efforts are ongoing to minimise the damage. However, until the water stops, we are as helpless as everyone else."
As of Tuesday evening, many shops, presses, and binding houses were still waterlogged, waiting for levels to recede to assess the full extent of the damage.