With several renowned authors and intellectuals set to grace the first Kolkata Literary Meet (KLM) at the 36th Kolkata International Book Fair, it is set to be a "confluence of literature and culture".

To be inaugurated on Tuesday by Italian author Beppe Severgnini in the presence of chief minister Mamata Banerjee, the fair is ready with a series of 'firsts', including a music-and-dance concert by Italian artists at the closing ceremony.

"This year, we will celebrate literature and culture. The first KLM will be big and easily the chief attraction of this fair. But we shall also have many other surprises. The inauguration, for instance, will have a music concert for the first time. We shall also observe Tagore's and Swami Vivekananda's 150th anniversary at the fair through lectures and seminars. Book-lovers can also look forward to interacting with Severgnini who is very popular in Bengal. One of his celebrated books, 'La Bella Figura', has been translated into Bengali and will be distributed free at the inauguration," said Tridib Chattopadhyay, general secretary of the Publishers' and Booksellers' Guild.

KLM, in fact, is set to be a star-studded event with authors Vikram Seth, Chetan Bhagat, Amish Tripathi and cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan set to attend it. There has not been any cancellation from the invitees for KLM, said Malavika Banerjee, the spokesperson.

Meanwhile, the number of stalls at the fair has been reduced to 785 from last year's 842. This has been done to have more open space at the fair ground, according to the guild authorities. "Last year, the venue had looked like Benaras with narrow lanes criss-crossing each other. It will be much better this time," said Sudhangshu Dey of the guild. The Kolkata Police has made arrangements for four parking venues - at the stock exchange ground, on the Science City campus, at PC Chandra gardens and under the Ambedkar bridge.

Traffic snarls are expected since the stretch of the EM Bypass near Milan Mela has been reduced to just 20 feet due to the ongoing flyover construction. Two thousand traffic policemen will be posted on the thoroughfare. The fair ground will have six watchtowers and 24 CCTV cameras. Policemen will cordon off the road with ropes to prevent pedestrians from spilling on to the thoroughfare.

Source: TNN, Dec 10, 2011