features : deutsche welle at the book fair
written on 10 February 2005 by Alok Dasgupta
For the first time DW has participated at the Kolkata (Calcutta) Book Fair this year from 25th January till 6th February 2005. They shared the stall of German cultural Centre - Max Muller Bhavan. Calcutta Book Fair is the largest fair in India (perhaps in the world) where millions come everyday to get a glance of the books, to buy books and to meet old friends and interact with people from different walks of life - writers, poets and other eminent personaliites from their respective fields.
Every day's events were covered by DW extensively in Bengali on the following day's morning b'cast- these included interview with listeners (everyday it was increasing) and eminent personalities. Listeners from far away places came to visit the stall - after hearing the news on the air.
From DW Mr. Thomas Bertline, Head of the South Asia Division (who speaks fluent Hindi), Mr. Abdullah-ul-Farooq, Head of the Bengali Section and Mr. Sanjib Barman, Senior Producer Bengali section in Bonn were the representatives of DW from Germany. Mr. Sanjib Barman edited the entire program daily on his laptop and sent the it via email attachement to be b'cast on the following morning.
At the Fair, DW launched a new website southasia.de to bring Germany, Europe and South Asia together.
Besides distributing DW Bengali schedules a commemorative souvenir was published in Bengali on the occassion of 30 years of DW Bengali Service. It is very difficult to estimate how many listeners visited the stall and most of them were meeting their favourite broadcasters for the first time.
Next year they've promised to come again but with a bigger stall.
New website launched: southasia.de
Some listeners with Thomas Bertline
(3rd from Left), Abdullah-ul-Farooq (4th)
and some listeners at the entrance of the stall.
DW poster at the entrance
With Abdullah-Ul-Farooq and Sanjib Barman
(who is editing the next day's program from Book Fair) and other listeners inside the stall.