In 2022 300,000 visitors purchased books worth $240,000 over its 14-day run.
The 43rd Agartala Book Fair opened on 2 January 2025 at Hapania International Fair Ground, marking its earliest-ever start to boost student participation before examination season. For publishing professionals tracking regional markets, the fair offers valuable metrics for India’s northeast.
2022: The Benchmark Year
The 2022 edition (40th) established baseline figures that remain the most widely cited: 300,000 visitors purchased books worth $240,000 over its 14-day run . This positioned Agartala as a mid-tier Indian fair – substantial for a state of 4 million people, though modest compared to Kolkata’s 2.6 million visitors.
2023: Recovery Phase
The 41st fair in 2023 saw sales approach ₹1.5 crore (approximately $180,000) across 150+ publishing houses. Visitor data remains unspecified in official reports, though participation from Bangladeshi publishers featured prominently until political tensions halted cross-border collaboration later that year. The shift from February to March timing reflected pandemic-recovery adjustments.
2024: Structural Growth
The 42nd edition (21 February–5 March 2024) demonstrated institutional maturation with ₹1.47 crore in sales ($176,000) and 191 stalls – a record number comprising 110 Tripura-based publishers, 66 from West Bengal, and others from Assam and beyond. Daily attendance reached “thousands,” with revenue crossing ₹1.04 crore by the 12th day . The fair introduced enhanced cultural programming, including poetry recitations and author interactions, while Tripura’s government publisher Gomti launched 150 new local titles.
The View From The Beach
The data reveals a stable regional market with consistent sales around the ₹1.4–1.5 crore mark and growing institutional participation, although footfall numbers for recent events elude me.
The 2025 edition’s January scheduling and expanded stall count (183) suggest continued ambition, though the absence of Bangladeshi publishers this year – a traditional fixture – may impact diversity. The fair remains a vital platform for Bengali and Kokborok literature, with state-led initiatives promoting library modernization at panchayat level to sustain readership.
The Agartala Book Fair proves that focused regional events can maintain robust engagement even as digital entertainment expands, offering a template for publisher-policymaker collaboration in smaller markets.
It would be great if there were some reporting mechanism for Indian book fairs and festivals to report their footfall and revenue, to help give us a clearer picture of this remarkable market.
This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn newsfeed.
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