India Named Theme Country for 50th International Kolkata Book Fair 2027

India will be the theme country at the 50th International Kolkata Book Fair, scheduled for January 22 to February 3, 2027, with a focus on Vande Mataram, national history and Indian literature.
on Oct 15, 2026

India Named as Theme Country for 50th International Kolkata Book Fair 2027

India will be chosen as the theme country for the 50th International Kolkata Book Fair (IKBF) 2027, which marks the 50th year celebration of one of the biggest literary fairs across the globe. The fair will take place from 22 January to 3 February, 2027, in Central Park in Salt Lake, Kolkata.

This has come as the country is all set to celebrate the 150th year anniversary of Vande Mataram and 80th year anniversary of independence of India.

National History Set to Dominate

The theme for the 2027 fair will be about nationalism and the struggle of India's freedom. It is also anticipated that the history of events like Partition and communal riots of 1946 would be recorded and shown as a part of the fair programme.

Other occasions to be celebrated at the fair include 125th birth anniversary of Syama Prasad Mookerjee and centenary of Rabindranath Tagore's drama Rakta Karabi (Red Oleanders) published in 1926.

As per Tridib Chatterjee, general secretary of Publishers & Booksellers Guild, and Prasenjit Bakshi, convener of advisory board, the emphasis at the fair would be on Vande Mataram and Swachh Bharat mission.

Theme Country India after 26 years

It will be the second time that India has been chosen as the Theme Country of the International Kolkata Book Fair. India had the honour of being the Theme Country at the 25th edition of the book fair in the year 2001.

With the golden jubilee edition of the Kolkata Book Fair coming up, the choice has tied in the event with the rich history of the fair as well as the Indian language and literary tradition.

More Transparency in Stall Allocation for Organizers

Preparations for the event have also been done for the participation of publishers from India and other countries. For the purpose of ensuring transparency in stall allocation, an online application process has been initiated for the participation of publishers from India as well as overseas countries.

The upcoming fair in 2027 has been organized by the Publishers & Booksellers Guild along with the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre and the National Book Trust. The organizing committee consists of a 24-member advisory committee constituted by the state government.

As against the earlier fairs which were inaugurated by Mamata Banerjee, the ex-chief minister of the state, the 2027 Kolkata book fair is expected to be inaugurated by someone from the literary world. The chief guest for the event is expected to be none other than the current Chief Minister of West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari.

Golden Jubilee Edition Honors the Literature of India

As India will be the theme country of this fair, the 50th International Kolkata Book Fair is bound to showcase Indian literature, along with some history lessons for the participants, marking their golden jubilee year. This fair is likely to draw many visitors from the world of literature.