Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu voiced concern that children are overly reliant on technology and are losing connection with their native speech. "Some students attend English-medium schools but read Bengali literature." "However, the number is decreasing," he remarked, urging a greater emphasis on reading Bengali literature and cultivating imagination and curiosity through books.

Kolkata is hosting a children's book fair and literature festival for the first time. The five-day festival, organised by the state Information and Cultural Affairs department and Shishu Kishore Akademi, will take place from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. and conclude on September 17.

Basu, along with famous poet Joy Goswami and Shishu Kishore Akademi president Arpita Ghosh, launched the five-day festival on Wednesday at Ektara Mukta Mancha in Kolkata. The programme was officially launched with a song performed by Patha Bhavan students. "We had a birthday book-gifting ritual about 30-40 years ago." "While technology is important, we also need to read to broaden our horizons," added Basu. 

The minister also noted that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is deeply concerned about children, and that the majority of government initiatives are centred on their well-being.

The festival was attended by about 20 schools and 15 publishers. The event's science exhibition is an added bonus. South Point Institute exhibited a scientific approach for generating electricity from garbage, while Jadavpur Baghajatin High School displayed an earthquake-resistant structure. Meanwhile, Haltu Kishalaya Shiksha Sadan's class IX kids are ecstatic about their robotic hand. There will also be quiz competitions and cultural performances over the five-day event. Goswami, the event's chief guest, was pleased to see the students' delighted smiles at the fair and science show.