Relation with my bosses sour and I lose interest in my job

It was in 1992 that we attended the Kolkata Book Fair. It was a sort of honor for us because we had managed to get a tiny 100sq foot of space allotted in our name – this was in spite of many reputed publishers of Bengal not getting allotment. The plus point in our favor was that we would be showcasing books and magazines printed in Bengali from Maharashtra. In those days, it was a novelty. Bengalis were used to little magazines and, most of them would be accommodated in a separate enclosure reserved exclusively for them.

The Fair was scheduled towards end of January and, accordingly, the three of us packed the books and magazines along with promotion leaflets for distribution at the fairgrounds. The duration of the fair was nearly a fortnight and we booked our train reservations accordingly.
Obviously, I would have to apply for leave of about three weeks and, my bosses did not want me to be away at that time of the year for such a long duration. Especially my Bengali boss who knew the reason of my going to Kolkata. That hurt. I realized that the time had come when I would have to take some harsh and unpleasant decisions.
Anyway, once in Kolkata, we got busy in arranging for setting up our stall – we had been given only the 10-foot by 10-foot space and had to arrange for its covering, decorations, lighting. My friends had local contacts and they struggled throughout the night. They disregarded the bitter cold of the Maidan, which was the venue where over 500 book stalls would be in business for the fortnight, to create our stall.
And, once the fairgrounds opened up, we felt on top of the world. Word soon got around about our innovative measures and every day, there was a regular stream of visitors and well-wishers. Some of them bought our books, others subscribed to our magazine while others submitted their short stories and poems for inclusion in our magazine. (to be continued …)

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