The meeting at Town Hall. Picture by Bishwarup Datta

Calcutta, Jan. 29: George W. Bush, your coalition of the willing has competition.

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has opened a chapter of the coalition of the reading — with at least one American on the potential list of founder-members, though he has not put in an application yet.

“Jeno mone hochhe boiyer biruddhe juddho ghoshona kora hoyechhe (it seems as if war has been declared against books),” the chief minister told a Town Hall audience — presumably made only of book-lovers — which gathered to “symbolically” inaugurate the fair that has been thrown out of Park Circus Maidan by the high court.

The hour-long meeting to mourn the loss of the site and discuss an alternative soon turned into a vocal exploration of how to bring the fair back to its original venue — Maidan. Last year, the high court had ruled that holding the fair on Maidan — the city’s lungs — would violate environment laws.

Bhattacharjee did not name any site — others did mention Maidan — but he gave a ringing reassurance. “This (the war against books) cannot be accepted by any civilised society. Taking all of you along, I must find a way,” he said to a round of applause.

No one devoted much attention to pollution in a city where innumerable households have children who suffer from breathing trouble or to traffic chaos. Those — and the manner in which the state government and its agencies flouted rules — were the principal reasons for the court order on Park Circus Maidan.

The court had not made any reference to the merits of the Book Fair. But the meeting today sought to project the issue as a “war” between those who are for and against books.

On the dais was US consul-general Henry Jardine — America was the theme country for this year’s Book Fair. Jardine did not adduce any martial motives, but confined himself to saying “it is unfortunate that the fair got cancelled”.

If Bhattacharjee is serious about teaching a lesson to those who have declared the “war against books”, he might want to rope Jardine into the coalition. The Indian Army, the Maidan custodian that stood its ground and refused to hand over the greens for the fair last time, may find it hard to withstand the combined might of the UPA ally and the potential “strategic ally”.

Even if Jardine is not willing, the chief minister need not worry. Would-be foot soldiers were aplenty in Town Hall today. “It is the time for us to stand up for our rights,” said poet Subodh Sarkar.

Over 500 people attended the “informal” meeting called by publishers and literary figures.

“Let us all join hands with full might to fight for Maidan as the venue for book fair,” said novelist Sunil Gangopadhyay, launching the Maidan Chalo campaign.

Mayor Bikash Bhattacharyya picked up the chant. “Many ask me whether it is possible to have a permanent ground for the Book Fair. I say, Maidan is the only permanent venue,” he said.

Tomorrow, a “token fair” will be organised on Maidan, followed by a candle-lit procession.

With support for return to Maidan pouring in, the Publishers and Booksellers Guild appealed to the chief minister to set up a permanent fair ground “easily accessible to all”. The guild also announced the dates and the theme country — Scotland — for Book Fair 2009 but not the venue.

That will depend on the outcome of the “war”.