Ukraine proudly made its debut at the 49th International Kolkata Book Fair, organised by the Publishers & Booksellers Guild and held from 22 January to 3 February 2026 in Kolkata.
For almost two weeks, the Ukrainian stand attracted steady interest—especially in titles available in Bengali. Visitors kept coming back, asking about authors and new translations, and Ukrainian books were consistently taken home by readers. Many also asked about the situation in Ukraine, including the difficult conditions in the energy sector caused by Russia’s attacks, and expressed admiration for Ukraine’s resilience, along with words of support and solidarity.
In the context of Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine, many conversations also turned to the role of culture and literature—in preserving identity and language, documenting lived experience, and helping international readers better understand Ukraine.
On 3 February 2026, Ukraine was awarded a special memento by the Publishers & Booksellers Guild, marking its debut at the International Kolkata Book Fair, alongside Argentina (the Fair’s Focus Country) and China. In return, the Third Secretary of the Embassy of Ukraine in India, Ms Tetiana Sharma, presented a decorative plate adorned with Petrykivka painting—a traditional Ukrainian art form inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
Throughout the Book Fair, visitors were welcome at the Ukrainian stand (F7), graciously provided by the Publishers & Booksellers Guild, where a curated selection of Ukrainian literature was presented, with a particular focus on Bengali-language editions that bring Ukrainian voices closer to local readers.
The central highlight of Ukraine’s programme was the presentation of Taras Shevchenko’s poetry in Bengali — the first translations made directly from Ukrainian by Dr. Mridula Ghosh, published in 2025 by Jadavpur University Press (যাদবপুর বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় প্রকাশনা). Taras Shevchenko (1814–1861) — Ukraine’s national poet, known as the Great Kobzar — was a poet, writer, and painter, and one of the strongest anti-imperial voices of 19th-century Ukraine. His poetry speaks of dignity, freedom, and the right to language and self-determination — now finding a meaningful voice in the Bengali language.
Our stand also presented a broader selection of English-language and international publications on Ukraine. These included contemporary books reflecting current events, including Russia’s war against Ukraine, as well as titles dedicated to Ukraine’s culture, history, identity, literature, and music etc.
A separate shelf titled “Nedopysani” (Недописані) was dedicated to Ukrainian writers and other people of literature whose lives and work were cut short by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine since 2014 — the project documented 239 names (as of 13 March 2025).
Beyond books, visitors to our stand could also engage with Ukrainian culture. Traditional Ukrainian women’s wreaths (vinok) drew particular attention, and many guests gladly tried them on for photographs. We also presented and explained key symbols of Ukrainian statehood, including the Tryzub — the national coat of arms of Ukraine — as well as the bulava, a historic symbol of authority of Ukrainian Hetmans during the Cossack Hetmanate, representing leadership, state power, and continuity of Ukrainian state tradition.
Ukraine hosted three public literary programmes, presenting both contemporary and classical Ukrainian voices.
1) Contemporary Voices of Ukraine – session dedicated to contemporary Ukrainian literature and live translations (24 January 2026, EIILM-Kolkta Press Corner).
The programme opened with Lyubko Deresh, Ukrainian author, who spoke about the situation in Ukraine today and read an excerpt in English from his wartime novel The Medusa’s Gaze. The audience then heard Yuliya Musakovska’s war poetry in Bengali translation, introduced by Sri Amal Kumar Mondal and read by translator Sri Debasis Das. The session also included Bengali readings from Zhanna Sloniowska, presented by Sulagna Mukhopadhyay, and from Iryna Vikyrchak, read by Sunandan Roychowdhury.
2) A dedicated discussion focused on Taras Shevchenko — Ukraine’s national poet and one of the most powerful anti-imperial voices of the 19th century Taras Shevchenko (25 January 2026, Mahasweta Devi Hall, International Kolkata Book Fair Grounds)
A special presentation by Lyubko Deresh guided the audience through Shevchenko’s extraordinary life journey — from serfdom to freedom, from artistic formation to exile under the Russian Empire.
A particularly moving moment was the recitation of “Zapovit / Testament” in Ukrainian and Bengali (translation by Dr. Mridula Ghosh) by 16 year old Aandrita Mahanand, Grand Prix winner of the International Shevchenko Recitation Competition. She also made a presentation of her understanding of Shevchenko.
We are sincerely grateful for the thoughtful reflections shared by Prof. Nandita Bagchi, Prof. Abhijit Gupta (Director of Jadavpur University Press), and one of the eminent journalist and cultural figure of Kolkata, Riju Basu, especially regarding the book of Bengali translation and Shevchenko’s relevance today.
3) Recitation of poems of Taras Shevchenko in Bengali (1 February 2026, Argentina Pavilion, Book Fair)
A special literary session featuring Shevchenko’s poetry in Bengali, continuing our Shevchenko journey in Kolkata was held. Several most famous poems of Shevchenko were read out and appreciated by the public.
Participants: Aandrita Mahanand, Tetyana Sharma, Ayush Bakshi, Vivekananda Kanjilal, Smriti Das, Ananda Ghosh.
We express our sincere thanks to the Embassy of Argentina for graciously providing the venue at the Argentina Pavilion.
Ukraine was represented at the 49th International Kolkata Book Fair by:
We also extend special thanks to our talented and helpful volunteers Sankha and Tuhin, as well as to our friends Anand Ghosh and Vivek Ghosh, for their dedication and support throughout the Book Fair.
We express our sincere gratitude to Dr. Mridula Ghosh for her outstanding translation work and for her continued efforts to promote Ukrainian classical literature. We especially missed her presence in Kolkata this year. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she has remained in Ukraine; at the time of the Book Fair, she was in Kyiv, standing with the people of Ukraine.
We also express our sincere gratitude to the Publishers & Booksellers Guild for inviting Ukraine to participate in the International Kolkata Book Fair for the first time. Special thanks, in particular, to Shri Sudhangshu Sekhar Dey (President), Shri Tridib Kr. Chatterjee (Honorary General Secretary), Ms Esha Chatterjee, and Mr. Ranit, as well as to the entire Guild team, for their openness, cooperation, and personal support throughout the event.
We are also grateful to the Ukrainian Institute for its support in facilitating the participation of Lyubko Deresh.
We also express our sincere gratitude to all publishing houses for their support and for providing book materials for display at the Ukrainian stand. Our special thanks go to Jadavpur University Press, Rritobak, Sampark, Anyatara patha o charcha, as well as to Penguin Random House India and HarperCollins India, whose cooperation and generosity contributed to the rich and diverse presentation of Ukrainian literature at the Book Fair.
We look forward to further cooperation and to being part of the jubilee 50th International Kolkata Book Fair in 2027.
We are sincerely grateful to the people of Kolkata for their warm welcome and for their support for Ukraine.