Lepcha stall garners stellar response at Kolkata Book Fair

 Nandi | MP | 4 February 2019 | Kolkata: A slice of Darjeeling has come alive at the 43rd International Kolkata Book Fair, with the Lepcha Development Board being given the space for the first time this year.

The stall that has been set up under the banner of West Bengal Mayel Lyang Lepcha Development Board, stocks a plethora of books and magazines written by authors from their community, translated into Bengali, English and Hindi. It has created a lot of interest among the visitors of the Book Fair.

Apart from books, the stall also has various items showcasing the culture and tradition of the Lepcha community in the Hills that makes up about 20 percent of the population there.

The main attraction of the stall is the exhibition of a variety of dresses, old scriptures and various old books belonging to the community.

It may be mentioned that the stall has evoked a lot of curiosity among the people visiting the fair, because most of them are unaware of the special lifestyle, customs and habits of this community.

The visitors were seen interacting with members of the community manning the stall, with the latter responding to their queries in Hindi and English, with a pleasant smile on their faces. They were also seen donning their traditional outfits in the stall.

"We are not only showcasing our books and magazines but also our traditional musical instruments, our dresses and everything else that relate to our culture. We have also displayed the special fishing rod that we use for catching fishes and a number of handicraft items made by our community," said Ugen Lepcha, one of the staff manning the stall.

It may be mentioned that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has formed the Mayel Lyang Lepcha Development Board for the Lepcha community, one of the indigenous communities of Darjeeling and has taken up several initiatives for their development.

"More than 70 percent of the collection of books in our stall has already been sold.

We are extremely happy with the book lovers in the city welcoming us with so much love and honour," Lepcha maintained.