Didi’s Soft Power Push: Books, Music And ‘Boi Tirtha’ To Sway Bengal’s Thinkers

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has intensified her cultural outreach to the state’s traditional bhadralok — the educated, intellectually inclined middle class — by foregrounding her persona as an author and artist. This strategy was prominently displayed at the ongoing Kolkata International Book Fair, where she released several new works and announced plans for “Boi Tirtha”, a permanent Book Pilgrimage Centre. These efforts underscore how her prolific literary and artistic output runs parallel to her political career. This year, nine of Banerjee’s books are being sold at the fair, bringing her lifetime total to 162 published works. Over the years, she has consistently expressed herself through songs, poems, paintings, and literature, cultivating a distinct artistic identity. During Saraswati Puja, she shared a song on X, with lyrics and music composed by her. She is also a fixture of Durga Puja, often composing theme songs and devotional numbers like ‘Maa Go Tumi Sarbojanin’. Her creative work frequently blends cultural pride with political messaging. Recently, she penned 26 poems opposing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Her past works have addressed the Singur and Nandigram movements, as well as critiques of central policies like demonetisation, GST, CAA, and NRC. Unlike her predecessor, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who embodied a refined, elite intellectualism, Banerjee is often seen as outside the traditional bhadralok mould. She turns this perceived lack of polish into an advantage, presenting simplicity and emotional honesty as strengths. Boi Tirtha project for which she has assigned Rs 10 crore is envisioned as a museum-cum-mall for rare books, Banerjee has already sketched its design, aiming to provide Kolkata with a permanent literary landmark before the book fair’s 50th edition.