An Urgent Appeal to the World of Book Lovers

Relentless rains have drowned the beating heart of Kolkata’s literary life—College Street. The world’s largest second-hand book market, a sanctuary of publishers, booksellers, printers, binders, and countless book-making workers, now lies waterlogged and broken.

The devastation is overwhelming:

Small, medium, and large publishing houses destroyed
Printing presses and binding workshops submerged
Priceless manuscripts, rare books, and vital machines lost forever

Losses already run into several crores of rupees. And this tragedy comes just days before Bengal’s greatest festivals—Durga Puja and the International Book Fair—when booksellers usually find their hope and livelihood renewed. Instead, they stand today at the edge of despair.

But College Street is not merely a marketplace. It is the cradle of Bengal’s intellectual life—the place where revolutions of thought began, where students, scholars, and dreamers found their voice, where generations of readers discovered the joy of books. To lose it is to wound the very spirit of literature and learning in India.

📚 A noble initiative—the College Street Relief Fund—has been undertaken by the Kolkata Creative Publishers’ Welfare Association, with the support of Swanirvar. We humbly seek your solidarity and participation.

👉 We appeal to you—readers, writers, publishers, cultural workers, and book lovers everywhere:
Stand with College Street in its darkest hour.
Help rebuild the lives of those who have dedicated theirs to the written word.
Your support will not only restore damaged shops and presses—it will keep alive the timeless culture of books in Bengal and beyond.

🙏 With folded hands, we seek your solidarity. Together, let us ensure that the light of knowledge never drowns.