#KLF

#KLF


And the aroma of the newly turned pages still intoxicates me…

It’s one of those times of the year that probably every rooted Kolkatan awaits. The 15 days long tour of the aroma of the new books, of the suspended dust in the air that is left back by the footsteps of every soul who’ve been frequenting the stalls, the lip-smacking food stuffs overhang the air that calls only for some newly made ‘nostalgia’. The International Kolkata Book Fair, or as it trends in Twitter, The Kolkata Literature Festival, #KLF, has it all! The essence of the knowledge and creativity showcased here throughout this fortnight is enriched by the personalities every book lover gets an exposure to.  
Today, a couple of days after the end of  the 40th IKBF, after celebrating the magic of literature and varied linguistic touches, it makes me nostalgic of my former years of visit to this extravagant ethnicity. Though not quite a vivid memory that strays back, but I remember how tightly I used to cling on to my father’s fist, to avoid losing myself in this complete alien world of books and book lovers and book critics and books analysts and all other sorts. Though never quite a fervent reader, yet the aroma of the new pages always intoxicated me!

The aroma of the new pages...


IKBF has a whole lot of scenes playing simultaneously that at a glance looks like a backstage of a huge theatre where we, the players keep rehearsing for the ‘tomorrow’. After all it’s the knowledge and experience that today prepares us for tomorrow!
Book Fair, or as a Bong would call it, Boi Mela, through the years have undergone a renaissance, and probably is still into the process. The venue has been shifted from Maidan to Milan Mela Prangan and the choice of literature has evolved through the passing years, yet the emotion attached seems to remain… even today gangs of college students flock together strumming their guitar, leaving behind strains of melody, intellectual book lovers hovering around the grounds in urban fashioned looks, painters sketching portraits of passer byes, children crowding around the Little Magazine stalls and then comes the literature festival revolving around a theme country, based on some past events and some that made history on the face of the 80s and 90s world.

And the first time staying away from that intoxicating aroma, yes, I miss it thoroughly! I miss the nostalgia attached, the promises made, the plans stocked up since last year. Everything. And as its said… You can take out a Bong from Kolkata, but never try to take out Kolkata from the heart of a Bengali!
From the heart of a true Bong!

IKBF Theme 2016: Bolivia


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