Even before the independence, Kolkata had been the centre of hectic cultural activities. In all areas of art, craft and performing arts, there has always been pioneering efforts from Kolkata. The traditions of erstwhile ‘Calcutta’ are still continued with much love and reverence in this great city. While Bengal intelligentsia has always emphasized on knowledge and culture, Kolkata, the City of Joy, has always preserved its cultural heritage as well. At present, any discussion on Kolkata's cultural chromosome is incomplete without acknowledging the International Book Fair, which has been organized annually since 1976. Not only is it the biggest Book Fair in Asia, but also one of the most attended ones in the world.

Previously Kolkata witnessed two book fairs organized by the Kolkata Publishers' and Booksellers' Guild and the Government of West Bengal. Since 1992 only one book fair has been organized. The Kolkata Maidan had been the venue for this grand occasion for more than three decades. From 2007, Kolkata International Book Fair got its permanent home in Milan Mela thoroughfare. Barring the unfortunate incident when the tents in the Fair were set ablaze on February 3, 1997; the history of Kolkata International Book Fair has been milestone moment for the cultural history of Kolkata as well as India altogether.

This year in the 40^th edition of Kolkata International Book Fair, the focal theme was Bolivia. Commemorating the 40^th anniversary of Vietnam War, Kolkata Publishers' and Booksellers' Guild welcomed Vietnam as the special guest of honour. In view of the 50^th anniversary of Che Guevara's anti-imperialist movement, the Book Fair authorities decided to make Bolivia the focal theme of this International Book Fair. On January 25, the Book Fair was declared open by the renowned Bolivian novelist Magela Baudoin, in the presence of West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, the honourable Chief Guest of the Book Fair inauguration. This year the Kolkata International Book Fair witnessed overwhelming presence of the Latin American countries.

Countries like Guatemala, Surinam joined the festive frenzy in Milan Mela for the first time in the history of this epic Book Fair. As this year marks the 50 years of diplomatic relationship and mutual bonding between Indian and Spain, the festival authorities invited Spanish delegates. Be it musical performance, dance performance or food festival, the Bolivian delegates enthralled the spectators. Incidentally the dance performance by the Vietnamese contingents on January 28 drew much applause from the spectators present in the main auditorium of the Milan Mela thoroughfare. Five Vietnamese painters namely Duc Hung, Huy Hung, Khac Chinh, Quy Kein and Tao Houng showcasing Vietnamese contemporary art drew big crowds in the exhibition at the Kolkata International Book Fair.

The other international participants namely Great Britain, USA, Japan, Turkey, Chile, Peru, Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia also brought in huge collection for the book lovers of Kolkata. On January 29, the eminent French author Abdourahman Waberi, winner of Grand prix litteraire d’Afrique noire award of France, graced the occasion. In the ground premises, there were 470 book stalls representing all wings of the society. Inside the halls in Milan Mela thoroughfare, there were 105 book stalls. Like every year, this year too, the volunteers as well as the Kolkata Police left no stone unturned to make the Book Fair experience worth remembering. Free water pouches were given to the visitors and prior security check was also conducted in the entrance.  Specialized mobile app and book privilege cards were two useful tools for the visitors who attended the biggest occasion in the City of Joy.

Since the last two years, the Kolkata International Book Fair has been witnessing Festival of Litterateurs at Milan Mela premises only and this time also it proved to be an assembly of eminent personalities and a big number of the literati class. Renowned persons form interdisciplinary fields of literature, drama, music, dance and other art forms attended the occasion and the spectators enjoyed the enlightening discussions with rapt attention. Like every other year, the little magazine stalls also drew huge crowds. Interestingly the little magazine publications are mostly crowd funded and run by young minds of the city and nearby districts.

Interestingly many attendees of the 40^th edition of Kolkata International Book Fair were surprised to see jewelers in their designer stalls and cooking materials being sold amidst impromptu food carnival within the thoroughfare premises. Although the Book Fair authorities claimed that there has been increase in the sales of books, the reality seems to be different. Among those books sold, chunk of the books belong to the academic genre whereas topical subjects and those of fiction and non-fiction comprised the remaining.

Presently the whole world is witnessing a silent transition from hard bound books to E-books. Digitization has got its immediate impact; the concept of minimizing physical space certainly promotes digital books. The smart phone revolution is another innovation which has eased the whole process of digitization. Side by side, faster life has changed old habits of reading books. Very few people or enthusiasts are keen on reading books verbatim. Unfortunately, the quality of content has also witnessed sharp decline. Most writers give maximum importance to packaging and not nurturing timely content. Still the importance of this grand event in the heart of Kolkata is of paramount importance. It's another special time of the year, where Bengalis are perennially hooked to books.

From the book sellers' perspective too, the Kolkata International Book Fair remains their true launching pad. For young writers and poets too, this Book Fair has become a grooming hub where they win accolades or the inspiration to carry on their literary adventure. Although Kolkata has got a vibrant College Street para which caters to global domain of books from all fields, the Kolkata International Book Fair remains a torchbearer of the cultural chromosome of Kolkata.

The fact is, in spite of aggressive subjectivity, individualism and intense material lust, the Kolkata Book Fair arena seems to be a ground for something unusual too, a genuine concern for others. Thousands of people walking past one another did not feel hesitant in seeking relevant information or assistance from the unknown faces around. This is indeed unique and one may very rightly expect this wonderful fellow feeling spread in every neighbourhood and make us all proud of an outstanding sense of oneness. Oliver Goldsmith had dreamt of a robust cosmopolitanism and we may all indeed be proud to be 'Citizens of the World'.