International Kolkata book fair | Boi Mela venue stalls location 2022

Hei !! You want to go to the Kolkata Book Fair, right? Do you know where the location of the event? The book fair is not just a book fair; it’s a complete festival enriched with food, Baul song, shopping and gossiping, and other activities. This year 2022 the theme country is Bangladesh.

Table of Contents

• Kolkata International Book Fair 2022
  • Kolkata Boi Mela date and timing
  • 2022 Book fair address and location
  • International Kolkata book fair stalls
  • How to reach book fair Kolkata
  • Kolkata Boi Mela special buses
  • Last year book fair attentions
  • History of Kolkata book fair

Kolkata International Book Fair 2022

It’s announced that the International Kolkata book fair held on Central Park, salt lake – Karunamoyee as per Booksellers Guild authority. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will inaugurate this fair, starting from 31st January 2022 ends on 13th February.

The theme country is Bangladesh and dedicated to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

No need for a covid certificate for this year (2022) in the Bookfair entrance. But every stall has a sanitiser facility. The stall number reduce to 800 and the little magazine stall reduce to 200 said by Publishers & Booksellers Guild.

In this festive time, another attraction is the Kolkata Literature Festival, which is the glory of the book fair. We will celebrate this occasion on the same book fair premises. Literature Festival will be a combination of writer, director, historian, author, theatre personality, etc.

A statistic said that last year of the book fair, 2.2 million visitors came, and they sold books worth 22 corers in the book fair.

The International Kolkata book fair’s official name is Antarjatik Kolkata Boimela / Antarjatik Kolkata Pustakmela. It’s a unique book fair because it is mainly for the general public rather than wholesale book distributors. It is the world’s largest non-commercial book fair and Asia’s biggest book fair, and the world’s most public attended book fair.

Kolkata book fair is the world’s third-largest annual collection of books event, after the Frankfurt book fair and the London book fair. Today’ Boimela’ (bookfair) in Kolkata is an integral part of their lifestyle. Now the Kolkata book fair is not only a book fair, but it’s also an opportunity for the writer, painters, singers, musicians, and an opportunity to introduce West Bengal’s food by the food companies.

Last year the United Kingdom, America, Russia, China, Japan, Vietnam, other 11 Latin American countries, and Bangladesh will participate. This year it’s the first time Iran and Pakistan try to participate in the book fair. Our other states like Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Gujarat, Punjab, Karnataka’s publishers also participate in the Kolkata book fair.

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Kolkata Boi Mela date and timing

The starting date is 31st January 2022. The Kolkata book fair’s last date is 13th February. 2022 Calcutta book fair timing is 12 PM – 8 PM.

2022 Book fair address and location

2022 Kolkata Boimela venue Central Park Mela Complex at Salt Lake – Sector-III in Karunamayee, Kolkata, West Bengal.

International Kolkata book fair stalls

International Kolkata book fair stalls are about 580 Book publishers in Kolkata, and 200 little magazines will participate this year. But this year the stall number was reduced to 800, and the little magazine stall was reduced to 200, said by Publishers & Booksellers Guild.

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How to reach book fair Kolkata

There are several ways to reach the Mela ground. You can come to Ultadanga and hire an auto, or if you come from Em bypass, reach Beleghata, Chingrighata, Kadapara, etc., and reach by auto. There are many buses available for this event. From Sealdah railway station, you can quickly get auto for Kadapara, Beleghata, etc.

Kolkata Boi Mela special buses

Special buses available from :

• Howrah Railway station
• Esplanade (Dharmatala)
• Dum Dum Railway station
• Sealdah Railway station
• Santragachi Railway station
• Joka and Belala
• Garia
• Shovabazaar
• Jadavpur 8 B bus stand
• Chingrighata More
• Ultadanga
• Dunlop More

Last year book fair attentions

• CALCUTTA ELECTRIC SUPPLY CORPORATION (CESC) made an APP for an ANDROID and ISO mobile to locate any Kolkata book fair stalls.
• The book fair offers special arrangements like medical assistance, the ambulance with doctors, Wi-Fi zones, shuttle services, and security personnel have been made for event attendees.
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History of Kolkata book fair

• The first time, in 1976, on 5th March, the Calcutta book fair was inaugurated. This time the Boimela was inaugurated by the state education minister, Mrityunjay Bandyopadhyay. The Bookfair located on the ground beside the Victoria Memorial, opposite the Academy of Fine Arts. This book fair is made with 56 stalls and participates 34 Book publishers in Kolkata. The entry was 50 paisa. This year’s Guild organized another book fair and participated in the World Book Fair and the Frankfurt Book Fair.
• In 1983, the Secretary-General of International Publishers Association (IPA), Geneva, Mr. Koutcowmow, was present at the inaugural ceremony.
• In 1988, for the growing number of publishers, the book fair required more space each year. The ground opposite of Rabindra Sadan and Birla Planetarium became impossible to organize the book fair. Then the book fair authorities moved to a new place near Esplanade and Outram ghat Road and became the new venue for this international event.
• In 1991, Kolkata international book fair started having a focal theme every year as the Frankfurt Bookfair. Firstly they decided on the theme based on the Indian state. The first focal theme was Assam, followed by Orissa, Tripura, Bihar, and West Bengal.
•  In the year 1997, the book Fair gets international value. This year for the first time, the focal theme was a foreign country, and that was France.
• This year a disaster happened, the fair was destroyed by an explosion of fire on the sixth day of the fair, and everyone suffered from huge losses. Then the reconstruction of this fair was done within three days by the State Culture and Home Minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
• In the year 1999, Bangladesh was a focal theme. A remarkable incident was, after 27 years, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina came to this city of literature.
•  In 2006, the book fair happened last time in the Maidan.
• In 2007, the book fair authorities faced a critical situation. The Kolkata high court issued an order to stop the book fair in the Maidan. It was just before the day of the fair inauguration. The fair schedule becomes changed, and it was shifted to Salt Lake stadium. This year only 8 lakh people come to the fair whereas in 2006 the number was 25 lakh.
• In the year 2008, a book fair already organized in park circus Maidan. But again, just before the inauguration day, the Calcutta High Court issued an order to stop the book fair in this place. Because of some environmental issue. So the book fair was postponed. After clearing all the legal problems, the fair was organized in Salt Lake Stadium in March.
• In 2010 the book fair committee decided that if a person has bought books worth 200 rupees, they will refund the entry fee. It’s naturally boosted sales.
• In this year 2011, the Guild offered free space to the Little magazine stallholders. As well as the government taking the initiative, they told Guild to share earning profit from the book fair to make Guild Milan Mela Ground. Also, it can be used by the state government to organize their fairs.
• From 2011 to 2018, the book fair shifted to salt lake central park because of ‘Milam mela’ contractions.