CulturePolitics

Why are Bengalis marching with books held high?

Walk for Books: Thousands of Bengalis took to Kolkata's streets carrying books in a symbolic protest against censorship and attacks on bookstalls. What began as a defence of books has grown into a wider assertion of intellectual freedom, democratic rights and cultural resistance.

Pabitra Sarkar
5 min read
Why are Bengalis marching with books held high?

Walk for books? What sort of obsession is this? Can Bengalis really not survive without being a little melodramatic?

Nearly six decades ago, the idea of a bookfair had inspired Bengalis to take to the streets in a similar march. After a long hiatus, the spectacle returned on 31 October 2026. Suddenly, people of every age and description came pouring onto the streets. What on earth was this strange phenomenon? I cannot think of anywhere else in the world where one might have witnessed something q...

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Pabitra Sarkar
Pabitra Sarkar
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