Highlighting the cultural ties between West Bengal and Bangladesh on Monday, chief minister Mamata Banerjee was delighted that the 45th Kolkata International Book Fair had Bangladesh as the theme country for its 50th anniversary of liberation.
Speaking at the opening of the 45th book fair in Salt Lake City’s Central Park, Banerjee said the relationship between West Bengal and sovereign Bangladesh “cannot be measured with a tape measure”.
“They (Bangladesh) have Nazrul (Islam) and we have Tagore as our national poet. But they cannot be divided by any division,” she said.
Banerjee warned against trying to divide people by religion, saying no one dictates people’s choices about food, dress or language.
“On both sides of the border, we are celebrating International Languages Day on February 21. We also voice Jai Bangla with Jai Hind and Vande Mataram,” the prime minister said.
She paid tribute to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, considered the founding father of Bangladesh, and to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed, with whom she has deep personal ties.
Bangladeshi Minister of Cultural Affairs KM Khalid also spoke about Bangladesh’s relationship with West Bengal and thanked the book fair authorities for paying attention to his country on the 50th anniversary of independence.
Banerjee is delighted to host the book fair after a one-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
She said the Kolkata Book Fair will continue to be held in Central Park as the permanent exhibition centre in Milan Mela has been refurbished.
“We’re going to rename the Central Park venue Boimela Prangan (book fair venue),” she said.
In 2018, the Kolkata International Book Fair relocated from the Milan Mela site to Central Park.
The chief minister also called on the book fair authorities to commit to world peace during the event to commemorate the victims of the Russian and Ukrainian wars.
Complete News Source : The Indian Express
