The month-long book fair that started on February 15 this year ended on Thursday. This year’s book fair did not witness a large crowd of writers and readers compared to pre-pandemic times. However, this time the situation was better than last year.
The book fair ended with the programmes of 102nd birth anniversary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and National Children's Day.
On the last day, the book fair started from 11 pm. However, from 10 am onwards, readers from different parts of the country, including the capital city, started coming to Bangla Academy and Shaheed Suhrawardy Udyan with their families.
The number of readers increased as the day advanced. The last day of the fair, being a holiday, provided all the booklovers with the last chance to buy books from the most awaited book fair of the year.
Although Amar Ekushey book fair usually starts from February 1 every year, this year it started from February 15 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced the inauguration of the book fair on that day, joining the programme virtually from Ganabhaban.
The book fair was initially scheduled to end on February 28 but later, the duration of the fair was extended until March 17.
The book fair was held on the premises of Bangla Academy and the historic Suhrawardy Udyan in an area of about 7.5 lakh square feet. The fair had a total of 35 pavilions with 142 units for 102 institutions in the academy premises and 634 units for 432 institutions in the Suhrawardy Udyan section.