Poetry recitation, discussion inject life into book fair
Discussion on poetry and recitation by poets from home and aboard enlivened Ekushey Book Fair 2016 on the third day on Wednesday that witnessed a slightly increase in the number of visitors compared with the previous two days.
Beginning of a month-long street and stage plays at the fair also caught attention of the visitors, majority of whom just made a round of the fair leafing through books at Bangla Academy and Suhrawardy Udyan premises.
Two sessions of International Poetry Festival — one in the morning and the other in the evening — with discussions on poetry as well as poem recitation by local and international poets were held at the academy.
In the morning session, British poet Joe Winter who translated poems of Jibanananda and Nurul Huda presented a joint paper on ‘Bangla and world’s poetry’.
Besides, Bengt Berg, Larsh Hager and Lotte Sederholms from Sweden; Erling Ktensen from Norway, Milan Richar from Slovakia, Benaissa Bouhmala, Lee Kuei-Shien and Fang Yaw-Chien from Taiwan as well as Bangladeshi poet Asad Chowdhury, Mohadev Saha, Kazi Rowji and Aminur Rahman recited their own poems.
Bangladeshi poet Syed Shamsul Hoque chaired the session while poet Asad Chowdhury and Kayser Hoque conducted the session.
Bangladeshi poet Helal Hafiz, Altaf Hossain, Shihab Sarker, Aslam Sani, Pias Majid and Samim Reza recited their own poems at the second session of the programme.
Meanwhile, the book fair authorities in association with Bangladesh Group Theatre Federation launched a month-long street theatre festival at Mukta Mancha inside the book fair premises at Suhrawardy Udyan.
Munshiganj Theatre staged a street play while Natya Kendra staged a play on the opening day that drew a good crowd.
Bangladesh Group Theatre Federation general secretary Akteruzzaman said that they would stage 28 street plays and same number of stage plays during the book fair.
He said street theatre groups from different districts including those from Sirajganj, Rajshahi, Khulna, Jhenaidah and others will participate in the festival.
Renowned theatre groups such as Aranyak Natyadal, Nagarik Natya Sampradaya, Dhaka Theater, Dhaka Padatik and Lok Natyadal would also stage play, said the organisers.
On the day, a total of 63 new titles hit the stalls, including 13 collections of short stories followed by 12 novels, 11 poems, six books of juvenile literature and four essays.
The academy will organise a discussion on past and present of research at Bangla Academy that would be followed by cultural programmes at the main stage of the book fair.
The fair will open at 3:00pm and continue till 8:00pm on working days, while from 11:00am to 8:00pm on holidays.
On International Mother Language Day on February 21, the fair will open at 8:00am and continue till 8:00pm without any break.
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