CM: City to get ‘Boi Tirtha’, to be ready by next book fair
Times of India | 23 January 2026
Kolkata: A ‘Boi Tirtha', at a cost of Rs 10 crore — to be released by the information and cultural affairs department — is set to come up in the city, said chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday while inaugurating the 49th International Kolkata Book Fair at the Salt Lake Central Park fairground.
"I was requested to build ‘Boi Tirtha', like Mahakal Dham and Durga Angan, before the 50th edition of book fair. I would like to tell my secretary to fulfil this wish. This place is already a permanent ‘Boi Mela Prangan'. Now there will be a ‘Boi Tirtha', which will come up before the 50th year," she said.
The CM said that she was making a sketch of how ‘Boi Tirtha' will look like. "I have made a rough sketch. It will have to be set up entirely with books. The information and cultural affairs department will give Rs 10 crore to the guild for this purpose," she said. The CM asked the guild to submit an official letter on the proposal.
Publishers and Booksellers Guild general secretary Tridib Chatterjee said ‘Boi Tirtha' will be a museum-cum-mall on books, where all kinds of rare and valuable books will be on display and visitors will also be able to buy books from there. "It will be a place of books where people will get to see different types of books and buy books. The site where ‘Boi Tirtha' will be set up is yet to be identified," Chatterjee said. Earlier, he had appealed to the CM during the inaugural programme, asking if something could be done with books on the lines of ‘Jagannath Dham' and ‘Durga Angan'.
The CM said that IKBF was the country's biggest book fair, where entry was free. "Last time, 27 lakh people attended. Books worth Rs 23 crore were sold. We expect the numbers to be higher this time. I extend my congratulations to all book lovers. There are 1,100 stalls here. The Book Fair will continue till Feb 3. It will be operational from 12 pm to 8 pm. We don't charge any tax. It's entirely free. We try to help the fair in every possible way. There is nothing to take credit for. It is part of our responsibility," the CM said.
She added that books have no geographic boundaries. "There are 20 participating countries, including Britain, Germany, China, Australia, Russia, Ukraine, and others. They are part of education, culture, and literature. Our students, who are now in various parts of the world, were taught here. They read our books and were enlightened with knowledge," she added.
The CM wondered if smartphones and AI were bringing down the number of readers, but added that bibliophiles won't agree. "Due to smartphones, computers, and AI, it is true that many people have become distanced from books. Is the reading habit slightly declining? For bibliophiles, the answer is definitely no," said the CM.
According to her, she still likes to write the old way. "I don't get time to write these days. The only time I get is while taking helicopter rides to districts. Nine out of 12 months, it doesn't operate, though. But that's the only time I get to write. I try to write when I am travelling on an aeroplane. I don't like typing on a computer. The books that I publish are all handwritten. I did not let that habit die. The words flow out organically. Typing takes more time," said Banerjee.
She said that anticipation for the 50th edition next year has already begun. "This is the 49th year. The celebration of the 50th edition has begun. The fair is a part of our culture and emotions. It has turned into a global uniting ground for world literature. The IKBF is number 1 in the country and is popular abroad as well," said the CM. Banerjee added that she will be releasing several new books at this fair. "One-hundred-and-fifty-three of my books have been published and another 9 are releasing this year, taking the total count to 162," she added.
Argentina is the theme country this year. Tagore scholar and essayist from Argentina Gustavo Canzobre and Ambassador of Argentina HE Mariano Agustin Caucino were present, along with ministers, senior police officers, and dignitaries. Novelist Swapnamoy Chakraborty was conferred the Guild Lifetime Literary award by the CM.