(Minghui.org) Kolkata, previously known as Calcutta during British rule, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Kolkata is known for its literary, artistic, and revolutionary heritage and has often been dubbed the cultural capital or the literary capital of India.

Falun Dafa practitioners from Kolkata have hosted a booth at the popular Kolkata Book Fair for the fifth year in a row. This year, the fair ran from January 31 through February 11. Four Practitioners from Bangalore came to offer their support.

Falun Dafa booth at the Kolkata Book Fair.

The Kolkata International Book Fair is the world’s largest non-trade book fair; Asia’s largest book fair; and, with a total attendance of over two million people, the most well-attended book fair in the world. The fair offers a typical fairground experience, with books taking center stage and seminars and talks going on throughout the day. There are also singer-songwriters, performers, and popular food vendors.

Practitioners teaching the exercises at the Falun Dafa booth at the Kolkata Book Fair.

The response was overwhelming. Throughout the day the booth drew the attention of many passersby, as practitioners demonstrated and taught the exercises and gave out fliers. There was no standing room around the Falun Dafa booth on the weekends.

People stood and read about Falun Dafa on large posters. Many were interested in the health benefits of Falun Dafa, and many young people wanted to know if the practice could help them give up smoking and drinking, and were keen to learn the exercises.

Many visitors already knew about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and the illegal harvesting of organs from Falun Dafa practitioners in China by the Communist regime. They had read about these atrocities on the internet. A number of people asked for more information.

Thousands of flyers were handed out every day at the book fair.

A man engaged in reading the Falun Gong story.

The Falun Dafa books in the local Bengali language were very popular, and many were purchased. A practitioner who has visited book fairs in other cities across India said that at no other book fair in India had he seen so many Dafa books for sale. People from distant states and some even from the neighboring country of Bangladesh purchased the books.

Often, as the practitioners were packing up for the day, people came and bought books, as if they did not want to miss out on something so precious. Many who purchased them returned to buy a set as gifts for their relatives.

Like last year, practitioners taught the first exercise to all those who purchased books. This worked very well, since most of them said they could feel the energy and a sense of lightness and wanted to follow up with the exercises later.

The weekends saw big crowds at the Falun Dafa booth.

Since the communist regime in West Bengal lasted for 34 years and ended only around 10 years ago, many older visitors said they could relate to the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners in China. When told about the persecution in China, one older gentleman quipped, “We have seen for over 30 years in West Bengal under communist rule how labor was exploited and how so many people were killed. You see communism crumbling all over the world.”

Another gentleman was shocked when told about the organ harvesting atrocities, and yet another man who was visiting from Mumbai said he detested China’s aggression and cited some recent examples at the India-China border. He said he would lend his support to any cause to stop that and purchased books in English. Many visitors who had seen Falun Dafa practitioners in Germany and France gave the practitioners a supportive nod and a thumbs-up sign.

One family who had purchased books three years ago and taken up the practice told people about the benefits they had experienced and encouraged many people to look at and buy the books. Many people who had purchased Dafa books in previous years and learned the exercises said they had noticed significant benefits but had slacked off for various reasons. They promised to read the books again and said they were motivated to do the exercises regularly after meeting and talking with practitioners. Practitioners invited them to their homes for follow-ups on the exercises.

Some older people who purchased Falun Dafa books said they now better understood the content since the translation into the local language was well executed. They said they felt like reading again. They also said that they were amazed at how their aches and pains had subsided after doing the exercises even a little, and were convinced that the main book about Falun Dafa, Zhuan Falun, had amazing power.

Practitioners demonstrate the exercises on stage at the Kolkata Book Fair.

Practitioners had the opportunity to demonstrate the exercises on a special stage on the book fair grounds. Spectators were invited to visit the booth to browse through the books and learn the exercises.

All the practitioners who participated in the Kolkata Book Fair felt that it was a great opportunity to reach out to so many people and create awareness of Falun Dafa. Local practitioners have organized follow-up sessions to teach the exercises. They look forward to participating again next year and plan to organize even better ways to reach out to more people.