TRAVEL AND BOOKS? IKBF BRINGS UP UNIQUE BONDS

🖊️Arpita Roy

Whether it’s the misty hills of Darjeeling, the serene beaches of Puri, or the cultural streets of Europe, Bengalis are always ready for a new adventure. Rooted in their passion for literature, history, and food, travel is not just a pastime but a cherished tradition.

To attract such visitors at the International Kolkata Book Fair, the book fair also provides a perfect place for them. Treks and Tours Publications has a range of factful books and diverse travelling programmes across the country. Upon asked the question which one they promote more - travelling or publishing of books, they stressed on the latter. “We used to be just a travel company but since 40 years, we have focused on travel book writers and publishing them for the public’s interest”, said Amit Rana. Their want to uphold the writers who write about travelling, their experiences and information about places around the world with immense dedication and respect. Along with this he also mentioned an unique element to their travelling packages. They have packages for the senior citizens. Unlike most of the travel agencies they want everyone irrespective of age to see all corners of the country with utmost care. Travellers or book readers or both? They don’t want anyone to feel left out of such experiences. These services are loved by people who are connected with them. Even though people buzz about literature all around the book fair, their stall is no less respected. “The crowd is a bit less than previous years but, there has been no harm in sales at my stall”, pointed out Amit Rana.

Just beside Treks and Tours, there lies a stall represented by the Travel Writers Forum. While talking to them, unlike Treks and Tours, we understood that their motive has got nothing to do with selling. The forum is formed by several travel authors of West Bengal who write books, organise seminars and meetings around the state. Their “Shonibaar’er Adda” creates insightful discussions about travelling and destinations. But when asked about what the stall and the members contribute with their stall, Ratan Lal Biswas said, "With the Internet you can find information about distance, cuisine, mode of transport but why you should travel or how travel related books will influence you to travel, your suitability with the place of travel these things you can't find on the internet. Our books and meetings deal with these topics. We are here to inform people in the most authentic way”.

With such versatile stalls sat side by side, we urge you to visit them once to get to the depth of travelling. And definitely to find the accurate answers to the questions about your upcoming trip from the experts in the area.

Happy Travels!