It is organised by the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL), a national body under the Union government. “Mulk bhar ke mashhoor wa maaruf nashireen sharkat karrahe hain (leading publishers of the country are participating),” said a notice, issued by the Council.

The fair, eighth in a row, will be the first-of-its-kind in the state. Scheduled to take place between December 17 and 24, the fair is supposed to be a much-awaited rendezvous for book lovers, researchers, students and lovers of Urdu poetry, literature and drama.

Supported by the West Bengal Urdu Academy, a state government wing, the fair will have all-day long cultural activities. “Urdu is attracting a lot of people. And people in the state are very passionate about ashaar and ghazals (read poetry). This is probably why the Council has chosen the city for the fair,” said a senior academy official.

“Earlier, cities like Lucknow and Hyderabad have been the hosts.

“This time, we have bagged the opportunity,” said E Islam, secretary of the academy.

Besides offering some of the best books in Urdu, the fair will be a venue for a seminar on children’s literature, sit-n-draw contest, a mushaira and “bait-baazi” (Urdu equivalent of an antaakshri competition).

Not forgetting the city’s love for ghazals, the fair shall host a “shaam-e-ghazal”. Interestingly, when the city is still debating a venue for the Kolkata Book Fair, the Urdu-Fair is set to be held at Md Ali Park, a trouble-free zone.