On the last Sunday of the International Kolkata Book Fair, the sprawling Central Park in Salt Lake was choc-a-bloc with visitors, with many jostling for space at some of the most popular stalls.

“Buying books is a habit, and where else can one do it better than at the Book Fair?” said a senior English teacher, one among the lakhs who visited the fair on Sunday.

The 49th International Kolkata Book Fair, a 10-day event, will conclude on Tuesday.

The organisers recorded a footfall of 4.30 lakh on Sunday, said Tridib Chatterjee, honorary secretary of the Publishers & Booksellers Guild.

On Saturday, the footfall touched 4 lakh.

“The number of visitors to the Book Fair this year has been huge. Uninterrupted Metro connectivity has been a huge benefit for the visitors,” said Chatterjee.

The Green Line (Howrah Maidan in the west to Sector V in the east) meets the Blue Line, the oldest and most popular metro route, at Esplanade.

For many visitors, the Book Fair remains an annual ritual steeped in emotion and nostalgia.

Dipanwita Roy, 40, visited the fair with her daughter, a Class IV student

“When I was in school, my parents would take me to the Book Fair at the Maidan. Now it’s my turn to do the same,” said Roy, who came from Dhakuria.

Roy, however, insisted that her daughter must pick up some Bengali books from the fair. “She has access to English books from the school library. But the choice of Bengali books is limited,” she said.

In most homes, books compete for space with the screen.

Sarika Yasmin, a primary school teacher, said the declining reading habit among children is a problem most schools are struggling with.

But some still browse, buy and read.

Nandan Sengupta, 74, a retired army personnel, came from Agarpara, said the Book Fair now was “vastly different from what it was in the 70s”.

“It has grown in magnitude. Years have gone by, but I haven’t outgrown my habit of visiting the Book Fair,” said Sengupta.

Buying books is a much easier now because everyone has access to online shopping.

“Coming here, browsing through stalls and carrying books back home is something we truly look forward to,” he said.

There were some first-timers too, like Adrika Rahut, 17, an engineering student who shifted from Muscat two years ago.

“I have often read about the Book Fair there, and I was very eager to come,” she said.

“I love reading books, and I am looking forward to finding some interesting ones.”