Ekushey book fair opens Many publishers yet to prepare stalls

The month-long Ekushey book fair 2020 commenced on the Bangla Academy premises and at Suhrawardy Udyan on Sunday while many publishers were yet to ready their stalls for visitors.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the fair in the afternoon on the day instead of February 1 due to the elections to two Dhaka city corporations.

After the inauguration, the fair venue was opened to visitors at 5:00pm.

The fair has been organised by the Bangla Academy memorialising the historic Language Movement of 1952.  The prime minister also handed over prizes among the recipients of ‘Bangla Academy Sahitya Purashkar 2019’.

Bangla Academy director general Habibullah Siraji delivered the welcome speech at the inaugural ceremony while state minister for cultural affairs KM Khalid was present as special guest, presided over by Bangla Academy president national professor Anisuzzaman.

‘We have plans to publish 100 books on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman where “Amar Dekha Naya Chin” is the beginning of the initiative’, said Habibullah Siraji.

‘The interest of the general people shows that the book fair is still popular among the masses. The fair is also dedicated to Bangabandhu which is significant for us’, said Anisuzzaman.  

The Bangla Academy Sahitya Purashkar is annually awarded to individuals for their contributions to the Bangla literature in various categories which introduced in 1960.

This year’s award recipients are Makid Haider for poetry, Wasi Ahmed for prose, Swarochis Sarker for essay and research, Khairul  Alam Sabuj for translation, Ratan Siddique for drama, Rahim Shah for juvenile literature, Rafiqul Islam Bir Uttam for literature on liberation war, Nadira Mazumder for science fiction, Faruque Moinuddin for autobiography or travelogue, and Saimon Zakaria for folklore.

Each of the awardees received cheque of Tk 3 lakh, a crest, and a certificate. 

The theme for this year’s Ekushey book fair is life and works of country’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman this year is his birth centenary.

Around 900 units have been allocated to 560 publishing houses and organisations to sell and exhibit their books and publications this year.

The authorities have allotted 179 units on the Bangla Academy ground to 126 organisatons and 721 on the Suhrawardy Udyan to 434 organisations. The academy along with 33 publishers gets 34 pavilions in the fair.

Besides, there is also a little magazine corner with 152 small stalls and 6 open space. This year little magazine and children’s corner are set up on the Suhrawardy part. There will be dedicated time for children at the fair.

‘I have been coming to the book fair every year. We hope that the publishers and organisers will bring some quality books to attract readers. I hope the publishers, writers and organisers will values about the demand of readers. I urge the publishers to maintain the quality of books’, said Mohaiminul Haque, a 4th year student of textile department at Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology.

‘I came from Khulna to visit the book fair. I think the discount on the book price must be increased. The academy should increase the fair hours’, Rafiun Ahmed, a final student of architecture department at Khulna university told New Age.

Chief executive of Anyaprokash Publications Limited Mazharul Islam said that only 10 per cent quality books are published in the fair. I think that the writers and publishers should be careful for maintaining minimum standard. One cannot become a writer by publishing a book.

‘We expect that many readers will throng at the venue. We said the organisers to make an entrance from near the Institution of Engineers because the area of fair has increased and the project of metro rail is under way. This would be flexible for viewers’, said Mazharul Islam.

CEO of Adorn Publication Syed Zakir Hussain said that writers and publishers has been increasing gradually and they need quality books. The academy should arrange a parking place for the visitors. The publishers should be more professionals, he said.

He was of the opinion that the fair should be held throughout the year.

Activist and columnist Syed Abul Maksud said that quality book is more important than bigger area for holding the fair. ‘We should keep in mind that how many number of quality books are publishing through the fair,’ he said. 

The Bangla Academy will bring 104 books in this year’s fair.

Three information centres, two at Suhrawardy Udyan while another on the academy premises, are set up this year to disseminate information about the fair.

The stalls for the mainstream publishing houses have been placed inside the Suhrawardy Udyan while the stalls of government organisations and the Bangla Academy are set up inside the Bangla Academy compound like the previous year.

The fair will remain open for visitors from 3:00pm and continue till 8:30pm like last year.

On holidays, the fair will run from 11:00am to 8:30pm. On February 21, the fair will open at 8:00am and continue till 8:30pm.

Holding of the fair on the Bangla Academy premises began informally in 1972, but it became institutionalised in 1978. The fair was named then Amar Ekushey Granthamela and a guideline for it was formulated in 1984.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net