Headlong rush as book frenzy peaks
The month-long Ekueshy book fair reached its peak on Friday, the weekend, as a huge number of booklovers rushed to the book fair that also caused a surge in sales.
Visitors waiting in long queues to enter the Ekushey Book Fair premises made yet another hectic day on its 19th day.
Book enthusiasts in their hundreds, accompanied with their near and dear ones, streamed into the Bangla Academy and the Suhrawardy Udyan premises through archways and most of them are returning with bags carrying books.
The stall attendants were seen busy dealing with the visitors and big smiles flashed on the face of the publishers as the proceeds were rather handsome on the day.
Nalonda publisher Redwanur Rahman and Ekushey Bangla Prakashan publisher Jahangir Hossain, Miti Osman of Agamee Prokashani and Tuhin Tushar of Anya Prakash said sales in their stalls were satisfactory.
Tuhin said most of them who visited their stall bought books.
A large number of book lovers flocked in from all parts of the capital and outlying districts.
Rahman Mian from Narayanganj was found with a list of books that he was planning to buy. ‘We cannot come to fair every day, even every week, so today I will try to find all my choice books,’ he said.
He, however, complained about dust at the fair.
People started coming to the fair since morning and by afternoon the fair premises and its adjacent areas were full with visitors.
After sunset, hardly any room was left for the visitors to move around the fair ground at Bangla Academy and Suhrawardy Udyan.
On the day, college friends of Jagriti publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan hanged several banners and festoons remembering the slain publisher.
Dipan was hacked to death in the capital’s Aziz Super Market on October 31.
Publishers and stall attendants expected bumper sale on Saturday another holiday and Sunday, Shaheed Dibash, observed in Bangladesh marking sacrifice of those who had laid down their lives for the sake of their mother tongue in 1952.
They said publishers had brought almost all their new books and now they would look for business. Till Friday, a total 2,259 new titles hit the fair so far. Poetry leads the new arrival list with 590 collections followed by 373 novels, 354 short stories and 130 essays.
On Friday 236 new tittles hit the fair.
The academy held a discussion on Radharaman Dutta and will hold discussions on pros and cons of social and cultural reawakening today.
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