Books from Thailand make their way to the Book Fair for the first time
The much-awaited India’s and Asia’s largest Book Fair is back. The 46th International Kolkata Book fair has once again become the shining star of the City of Joy. The book fair which is only second to Frankfurt Book Fair in dimension and footfall is successful in attracting every individual in the city. The fair is filled with enthusiasts ranging from kids to adults. The fair will go on till 12th of February. The theme of this year’s book fair is Spain. The frenzy is filled with bibliophiles from around the world. A one-stop place for book lovers as well as food lovers. This time there are around 900 stalls, of which 700 will be devoted to books and 200 will be dedicated to Bengal's famous little magazine genre, named after author and editor Ramapada Choudhury to commemorate his birth centenary.
The Book Fair features around 20 countries such as the USA, Iran, Peru, Russia, Japan, Mexico, Bangladesh, and more. But the star of the Fair is Thailand, the country which is participating for the first time at the Kolkata Book Fair. Adita Sarkar of the Thai consulate said, “The planning started a year back when it was decided that we will take part in the Kolkata Book Fair. Every year we see the incredible footfall at this Book Fair and we thought now it is time for us to put up our stall as well. We have some special activities planned at our stall daily. We have arranged for certain exciting games at the stall. One can play four types of games such as the Thailand Quiz, a photo matching game, a memory game, and so on.”
There are also some photo booths or stands within the stall. People can take pictures standing behind them. The picture can be posted on Facebook and Instagram and tagged to the Royal Thai Consulate General, Kolkata(#Royalthaiconsulategeneralkolkata). The Thai Consulate is doing a giveaway where 20 lucky participants are getting gifts. There are also some free e-books in Thailand inside the stall, when the QR code, which is on the book, is scanned, people will be able to access the free e-book and read it during their leisure time. Different books on display range from books on the delicacies of Thailand to famous tourist places, some with heavenly scenic beauty.
“Apart from games, we also have a facility called ‘LearnThai,’ where we are giving papers to learn how to write in the Thai language. These can be traced out and the consonants of the Thai language can be learned very easily. We have also included some common Thai words and Phrases such as Hello, Goodbye, etc.,” said Sarkar. “We are getting a lot of people who are showing interest in Thai culture and language. We are really enjoying such an experience,” she added.
Payel Kundu, a visitor who checked the Thailand stall said, “At the Book Fair we get to know many new cultures and their specialties. Knowledge increases with experience. I am hoping to see more such stalls in the future which will bring different countries of the world closer to us.” The Thailand stall is a new addition to the diversities of the Book Fair. The Thailand stall can be found near Gate No. 4 – Paytm Gate.
