Focus shift? Greeting cards being sold at the Book Fair. A Telegraph picture

Ankhi mukherjee,
Dhakuria

Sale of products other than books should not be allowed at the Book Fair. The purpose of the fair will not be achieved if the visitors are lured away by other products. There are some people who visit the fair attracted by the things on offer in addition to books. The ambience suffers due to these visitors. Last but not least, the sale of other products result in littering of the grounds.

Dipro Ray,
Beniapukur

Apart from books, the main product sold at the Book Fair is mouth-watering food. The idea of banning the sale of tempting food is a preposterous one. The number of food-lovers is almost equal to the number of book-lovers. Food kiosks between book stalls are most welcome. Sale of CDs and cassettes, mostly educational ones, should also be allowed. From a humanitarian angle, the sale of paintings, greeting cards and handicraft cannot be prohibited. I think even bookworms are going to be bored looking at just rows and rows of books.

Pratika Gupta,
Phoolbagan

The Book Fair being the most popular of the events held in the city, sale of other products should be allowed inside. Just books will make the fair boring and monotonous. The stalls of other products make the fair colourful and entertaining.

Indranil Sanyal,
Dhakuria

The sale of food, snacks and CDs has become an integral part of the Book Fair. It is extremely convenient for the visitors, for they can quench their hunger and thirst in the fair itself. It is also important to remember that a fair is a festive occasion. A large number of visitors attend the fair not just to browse through the new publications, but also to have fun with friends and family. In all respects, the sale of products other than books is of substantial importance. This practice should not be discouraged.

Arpita Chowdhury,
East Sinthee Road

The notion of stalls selling products other than books in the Book Fair seems outrageous. But there are thousands of people who visit the Book Fair only to satisfy their taste buds. Many book-lovers, too, head for the food stalls, exhausted after hours of browsing. For their sake, the organisers should allow the sale of food on the fairground. But they must ensure that the essence of the fair is not lost.

Md. Sarfaraz Alam,
Address not given

The sale of products other than books at the Book Fair is preposterous. Books cannot be sold along with other products. In this age of instant gratification, if the sale of other products is allowed in the Book Fair, it will gradually lose its focus.

Swarnali Biswas,
Address not given

The Book Fair is meant for the sale of books and not for the sale of other products. The essence of the event will be lost if plots on the fairground are let out to companies other than publishing houses. The fair should remain educational in nature.

Ranadip Das,
Panihati

I think sale of products other than books should be allowed at the Book Fair. The fair is spread over a huge area and whoever wants to go through most of the stalls will need refreshments in between. For the safety of the people, a fire brigade stall is a must.

Sayan Banerjee,
Belgachhia

The objective of the Book Fair is definitely not to sell only books. The sale of allied products like CD-ROMS should certainly be allowed in the fair. Regarding food stalls and the crowds there, the visitors are dependent on these. As long as the Book Fair does not turn into a Consumer Durables Fair or a Garment Fair, there is no need to impose a ban.

Md. Sohail,
McLeod Street

No, the sale of other products should not be allowed at the Book Fair because the visitors would then lose their interest in buying books. But eatables should be exempt from the ban, since people would find it difficult to go through the fair without sustenance.

Naveen Singh,
Address not given

It will be wonderful if sale of schoolbags and stationery is allowed at the Book Fair. Books are linked with education and so are these products. Hence, their sale should be allowed.

Hemanta Kumar Dutta,
Shibpur

I would like to vehemently oppose the sale of products other than books at the Book Fair. It would be a travesty to turn the only fair devoted to books into a shopping festival. A lot of malls have opened in the city and people can visit them to fulfil their non-reading needs. If the sale of products other than books is allowed in the Book Fair, it would lead to a complete mess. A proposal to allow sale of other products at the fair should be nipped in the bud.