Yesterdate: This day from Kolkata’s past, February 3, 1997

On this day, a fire broke out at the venue of the 33rd Calcutta Book Fair, now known as Kolkata Book Fair, destroying one-third of the stalls. Then the fair used to be held on the Maidan.

More than 1,00,000 books were destroyed. One person died of heart attack. But the fairground was set up again and the fair commenced.

The fair had started in 1976 with 34 publishers and with time it grew into one of the largest book fairs in the world.

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