Siliguri, March 9 -- The Siliguri city is set to get its own 'Boi Para' (book hub), inspired by the famous College Street of Kolkata. The initiative aims to create a cultural and literary space for readers, writers, and students.
According to sources, the land adjacent to the Red Cross building in the College para area has been selected for the project. A three-storey building will be constructed for this purpose. While the ground floor will be used by booksellers for their businesses, the upper two floors will house a municipal book market run by the Siliguri Municipal Corporation.
The proposed book hub will not only focus on selling books but will also provide facilities for reading.
Visitors will be able to sit and read and there will also be space dedicated to literary discussions. Various publications, including textbooks, are expected to be available there. Siliguri, often referred to as the gateway to North Bengal, will see this modern book hub emerge as a cultural centre for the region. Writers and literary enthusiasts from the city as well as other districts, have welcomed the initiative taken by the mayor. The project has been approved in the municipal budget session. Gautam Deb, the Mayor of Siliguri, said the initiative is aimed at building a strong cultural environment in the city.
"We want to create a cultural atmosphere in the city and that is why we want to establish this Boi Para. We will start the work soon.
There will be thousands of books available here, along with a dedicated space for reading," he said. Author Sulekha Sarkar appreciated the move and said, "This is a very good initiative. It was much needed. I hope the Boi Para will be developed soon.
The location is also suitable as there are several educational institutions nearby, which will make
it very effective."
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.