Where Stories Stir: The curtain rises on IKBF 2026

🖊️Kathakali De

 

The countdown begins. Kolkata is all set to orchestrate the literary symphony at the 49th International Book Fair. The organizers of the 49th IKBF, on Tuesday (20/01/26) unveiled the roster of the fair and its allied literary events at the Press conference attended by senior office-bearers and committee members. Joint Secretary Subhankar Dey, Director Subhendu Bhattacharya, Sudipto Dey, Siladitya Sarkar, Mr. Yogesh Tanna, Treasurer Raju Barman, Honorable General Secretary Tridib Chatterjee, President of Publishers and Booksellers Guild Sudhangshu Sekhar Dey, and others were present in the briefing.

 

 

Addressing the media, Honorable Secretary Tridib Chatterjee highlighted the key features of the fair and its cultural offerings. The book fair will be inaugurated with a ceremonial grace at 4 pm on 22/01/26, with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as the chief guest. Among the distinguished personalities are Gustavo Canzobre ( Argentine scholar and essayist), Mariana Augustine Canzino, eminent litterateur Sri Swapnamay Chakraborty, ministers of West Bengal, and other dignitaries. During the inaugural ceremony, Sri Swapnamay Chakraborty will be conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award, carrying a cash prize of Rs 2 Lakhs, by the chief minister.

 

The Senior Citizen’s Day will be observed on January 30, 2026, at 4.30 pm, when poet Mridul Dasgupta, Publisher Rajendra Kumar Mehra, and voracious reader Nirmal Bhattacharya will be felicitated for their lifelong engagement with literature. The long-awaited Kolkata Literature Festival, curated by Gameplan, will be held on January 24 and 25 at the SBI auditorium.

 

On 24th January, inauguration will be graced by the Jnanpith Award-winning author Amitav Ghosh and Gautam Ghosh. Amitav Ghosh will present Samaresh Majumder Prize to Gautam Ghosh for his contribution in literature. At 4pm, Bay Of Stories will have Amitav Ghosh converse with Arunabha Sinha on how the relationship between Bengal’s unique village life and waterways has shaped his works. Trailokyonath Theke Emoji, unfurls Bangla Sahitye Hasyorosh, as Chandril Bhattacharya, Ullash Mallick and Srijato guided by Agnijit Sen trace laughter’s journey from classic to digital delight.

 

A literary discourse will be held among Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, Pracheta Gupta and Debarati Mukhopadhyay alongside Aveek Majumder. Concurrent sessions “Books of Faith and Myth” will have discussion between Rahul Dev Bose and Devdutt Patnaik. Melodic crescendos follows: sitar recital by Ustad Nishat Khan.

 

On 25th January the hallowed halls of IKBF will witness a blend of an artistic odyssey of literature, music and culture that will be concluded by Anupam Roy’s solo performance.