Archive · 26 Aug 2026
West Bengal Broadens Kolkata Book Fair Organising Committee
The West Bengal government has created a new group to help organise the Kolkata International Book Fair.
The group has 24 members.
It includes organisations such as the Ramakrishna Mission, Bharat Sevashram Sangha, National Book Trust and Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre.
The Publishers & Booksellers Guild is also represented.
However, two senior Guild leaders were left out.
From 2027, the fair will be organised jointly by three organisations instead of being controlled only by the Guild.
The government says the change is meant to bring wider participation.
It also hopes the group will help solve problems that happened during earlier fairs.
West Bengal has formed a 24-member advisory committee for the Kolkata International Book Fair.
The committee includes religious, cultural, publishing and government-linked organisations.
The 2027 fair will be jointly organised by the Guild, EZCC and National Book Trust.
The Publishers & Booksellers Guild will have four representatives on the committee.
Guild president Sudhangshu Kumar Dey and secretary Tridib Kumar Chattopadhyay were not included.
- Who
- The West Bengal Government, Publishers & Booksellers Guild, Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre, National Book Trust and other organisations connected with publishing and culture.
- What
- The government formed a 24-member advisory committee and changed the organising structure for the Kolkata International Book Fair.
- When
- The committee was announced on Wednesday; the new joint organising arrangement applies to the 2027 fair.
- Where
- Kolkata, West Bengal.
- Why
- The government said it wants wider participation and better coordination while resolving operational issues from previous fairs.
Government’s Broader-Participation Model
Previous Guild-Centered Arrangement
Control of the fair
Government’s Broader-Participation Model
The state government says the new structure will widen participation and end the Guild’s sole control over the event.
Previous Guild-Centered Arrangement
The previous arrangement placed the Publishers & Booksellers Guild at the center of organising the fair; the article does not include a direct Guild response.
Organising responsibilities
Government’s Broader-Participation Model
For 2027, the Guild, Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre and National Book Trust will jointly organise the fair.
Previous Guild-Centered Arrangement
Under the earlier model described in the article, the fair was solely under the Publishers & Booksellers Guild.
- Committee size
- 24 members
- 2027 organisers
- Publishers & Booksellers Guild, Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre and National Book Trust
- Guild representatives
- Devajyoti Dutta, Anil Acharya, Milind Dey and Rajkumar Burman
- Guild leaders excluded
- Secretary Tridib Kumar Chattopadhyay and president Sudhangshu Kumar Dey
- Committee convener
- Journalist Prasenjit Bakshi
- Other represented organisations
- Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, Bharat Sevashram Sangha and Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre
- Committee role
- Providing guidance and advice on various aspects of the book fair