Boiparai Boi Utsab: A Book for Every Occasion
With 60 stalls celebrating literature, Boipara Boi Utsab is a haven for book lovers amidst the digital age.
If you’re ever at sixes and sevens about what to gift someone—whether it’s their birthday, wedding, or simply because you fancy bestowing a token of goodwill—look no further than a book. Books are, after all, the only presents that don’t wilt like flowers, expire like chocolates, or gather dust in a cupboard like that peculiar-looking vase from Aunt Edna. This is what was reminded in Boiparai Boi Utsab.
At the inauguration of the Boiparai Boi Utsab at College Square on Tuesday evening, writers took to the stage to remind the audience of the timeless charm of books. Poet Srijato Bandyopadhyay, with a flair for both verse and common sense, implored everyone to embrace the art of book-gifting once more.
“In the past couple of decades, we’ve started hesitating when it comes to gifting books,” he lamented, as though narrating the tragic decline of a once-great empire. “My appeal to all of you is to gift a book—and do it with pride. Because books don’t decay.” A noble cause indeed, considering that his own copy of Gitabitan, gifted to his parents on their wedding day in 1970, has stood the test of time far better than many a household appliance of the same vintage.
The festival Boiparai Boi Utsab, runs until April 7, is a haven for book lovers. With 60 stalls dedicated solely to literature, it’s a rare opportunity to browse at leisure without the stampede one often experiences at the much larger Kolkata Book Fair. As one publisher put it, “Here, the books breathe—and so do we.”
Yet, despite the undeniable magic of physical books, the industry faces a foe more formidable than any Dickensian villain: the digital age. E-books, mobile phones, and the bottomless abyss of the internet have turned the humble hardback into an endangered species. But all hope is not lost.
“We’ve had to reinvent ourselves,” said Simi Gupta of Deb Sahitya Parishad, revealing that classics like Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s Anandamath have been transformed into comic strips to lure young readers. “A child who picks up a comic version today might just turn to the full novel tomorrow.” A cunning plan indeed—one that might just save the day.
While online shopping has made book-buying easier, it has also led to a drop in footfall at traditional bookshops. Sayanti Pal of Barta Prakashan observed that their in-store sales have shrunk by about 30% in the last three years. Yet, as the saying goes, the pen (or perhaps the printed page) is mightier than the algorithm.
The presence of literary greats such as Sanjib Chattopadhyay, Joy Goswami, and Subodh Sarkar lent a certain gravitas to the evening, while schoolchildren, fresh from a swim in College Square, cajoled their parents into buying them books. Clearly, all is not lost.
And as Srijato wisely concluded, “If books have survived till 2025, they will survive as long as there is life on Earth.” So, dear reader, next time you’re invited to an occasion, don’t overthink it—just grab a book. It’s the only gift that guarantees a return trip to another world, time, or idea. And unlike a scented candle, it won’t be regifted next Christmas.
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