Publishers from Bangladesh looking to participate in the Kolkata International Book Fair must first obtain clearance from India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), organisers said.
Several members of the Publishers and Booksellers Guild, which organises the fair, said they have received multiple requests from senior officials in Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, and from the Bangladesh deputy high commission in Calcutta, urging them to allocate stall space for Bangladeshi publishers.
“We have politely turned down the requests,” said Tridib Chatterjee, general secretary of the Guild. “An MEA clearance is mandatory before publishers can apply for stalls. We are a small private body and cannot handle any untoward situation that may arise from participation from across the border,” he said.
The first phase of the lottery for stall allocation was held on Friday, with no applications received from Bangladesh.
Bangladesh has always been a prominent participant in the Kolkata Book Fair.
Since 1996, Bangladeshi publishers and booksellers have consistently set up stalls in the Bangladesh pavilion. The country was the theme nation in 2022, with the then state minister for cultural affairs, K.M. Khalid, attending the opening alongside Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Bangladeshi author Selina Hossain.
Bangladesh also participated in the 2023 and 2024 editions. However, following unrest, the country did not take part in the 2025 fair.
The 49th edition of the Kolkata International Book Fair is scheduled to run from January 22 to February 3, 2026. Argentina is the theme country.
Several other nations, including the UK, Germany, the US, France, Australia, and Spain, will also showcase their publications.
Guild president Sudhangshu Sekhar Dey said: “We expect more than 1,000 stalls this time. To accommodate first-time participants, we will be setting up smaller stalls wherever possible.”
In 2025, 27 lakh visitors attended the fair. Organisers anticipate this number will rise in 2026.
