Between Paperbacks and Pastry Cakes

🖊️Somdatta Thakurta

“বইমেলায় বই কিনতে এসেছিস নাকি খেতে?” I hear a father ask his daughter from behind, on the fourth day of the 49^th International Kolkata Book Fair. I turn around and smile at him, then look at the seven or eight-year-old girl. She frowns at her father’s question and he smiles back at me knowingly.

“Though the number of food stalls has increased over the years, the Kolkata book fair has always been a festival of books, culture and food. Food stalls have therefore played an irreplaceable role here,” says a college student when I ask her whether the fair would feel the same without the huge number of food vendors and their countless varieties. When asked if the food stalls distract people from buying books, two authors chatting outside a bookstall, with cups of coffee in their hands, tell me that if I observe carefully, I won’t find a single bag of books in the hands of the people eating in groups around the food stalls. I leave them to their conversation after sharing a concerned look.

The Kolkata book fair is not just a gathering of bookworms; books are not the only attraction here. Though big and small bookshops are spilling out with people, the food vending areas near them are equally crowded. From stalls of popular sweet shops to seafood from Digha, from dry fruit shops to phuchka parlours, one might just find anything the tummy craves for! Whether browsing through books or searching for your favourite publisher’s stall, the salivating aroma of kebabs is bound to reach your nose. When I ask a child whether he’s looking forward to buying a book or eating something, he simply answers with two words- “Ice cream”.

Although the delicious-looking snacks are a major distraction, they don’t come between bookworms and their favourite authors. The Biriyani aroma might be tempting, but it could never compete with the smell of new books. An elderly couple remark that the stalls merely serve the purpose of relieving hunger after one has tired themselves out walking around the huge ground and perusing through countless books. At the Kolkata book fair, people may argue over the greatest authors, but still agree on one thing: ice cream is non-negotiable.