A glimpse of the official mascot of the 48th edition of International Kolkata Book Fair — two ducks named Haso and Hasi
Photographs by Soumyajit DeyOne look at this stall and you know that people from Kolkata and neighbouring districts still warm up to the lure of printed words beating the challenges posed by the Kindle editions of books and rising mercury
Apart from book scouting, what’s also keeping the readers busy and ‘energised’ is the wide variety of sip and bite options at the ‘Boi Mela’ ground in Salt Lake
Kolkata Biryani, which has a separate fan base, is a dish on the menu at the book fair, and of course it comes with aloo (potato) and dim (egg)
The love story between a Bengali and fish fry is generational, and of course, this fishy affair has made it to the must-eat list at the ‘Boi Mela’
‘Mangsher Lal Jhol’ — the spicy gravy with succulent pieces of mutton and potatoes — is not to be left behind and is keeping the foodies hooked, no doubt!
‘Telebhaja’ (deep fried delights) have a separate fan base. ‘Singara’ and vegetable chops are selling like hot cakes, as sips of ‘chaa’ (tea) keep the bibliophiles upbeat
A January event in Bengal and without its most celebrated winter dish, the ‘pithe pulis’? No way! Patishapta, with coconut and jaggery filling, are bringing a sweet end to the gastronomic adventures of the book lovers at the fair
‘Nolen gur’ (a type of jaggery) is one of the many things that a Bengali cannot do without during the winters. The Kolkata Book Fair food stalls are not disappointing the attendees with a wide variety of ‘gur’ delicacies
Some ‘mishti mukh’ to add more sweetness to an eventful day of enjoying some bibliosmia and engaging in serious book shopping —- oh, the joy!