The Amar Ekushey book fair on the Bangla Academy premises, and adjacent area is yet to draw a large number of visitors and booklovers even on the second consecutive day. However, the crowd was significantly bigger during the first half of the day, but dwindled a little by the end of the day.
The visitors seemed to prefer the Suhrawardy Udyan-side of the fair and the number of people visiting stalls on the Bangla Academy side was relatively smaller. Book lovers and visitors were found roaming across the fairground to find books of their choice. Most of them now prefer browsing titles and showing curiosity about new arrivals to buying them.
Jharna Alam, representative of Microtec interactive, said visitors' turnout wasn’t satisfactory on Monday considering it to be just the second day of the month-long event. She also said, both the number of visitors and sales volume will hopefully rise in the coming days.
MH Riyad, a sales executive, said, only a few visitors were opting to buy books. The free ambience of the fair and the stall decoration attracted many visitors, he said. However, not all the stalls were prepared to cater to the eager book lovers; construction of many stalls on the fair ground is still incomplete. Workers were seen busy completing final preparatory work for the fair.
Month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair brought together a diverse mix of the country’s well-known writers as well as up-and-coming authors, readers, thinkers and entertainers on one stage. Besides being a spot for the booklovers, the venue of the month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair, is also for many, an escape from the monotony of routine city life.
People of all ages come to the fair, to pass a few hours in a secure and protected area. Enjoying a respite from daily toil at workplaces or educational institutions, couples, teenagers and groups of young people are now seen whiling away time at the venue.
Talking to Bangladesh Post, Dhaka University student Atikur Rahman, who came with friends, said, ‘We have not come to buy books, but to meet friends on the fair premises.’ “Huge publications and new books arrived this year but the price is too high for students. “he said.
“This book fair is a place of get-together for readers and authors. This year could very well be the best version of the fair ever. However, we want bad books to be removed from the fair, and only good books to be displayed and sold.” said Rakibul Islam, a student of Dhaka University Journalism department.
However, Dhaka University Central Students Union (DUCSU) set up their stall for the first time ever on the Bangla Academy premises. A good number of visitors were gathered at the stall to buy the magazines, books published by DUCSU body and different organizations of the university. This year Bangla Academy has set the theme of the fair as “Birth Centenary of Bangabandhu” dedicated to the iconic leader, marking his birth centenary.
This year, the land earmarked for the fair has been expanded to 800,000 square ft. A total of 873 units were allocated to 560 organizations. The authorities have allotted 179 units at the Bangla Academy ground to 126 organizations and 694 at the Suhrawardy Udyan to 434 organizations and a total of 34 pavilions have been allocated this year.
The fair will remain open from 3pm to 9pm from Sundays to Thursdays; and from 11am to 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays. On February 21, the fair will remain open from 8am to 8pm.
The month-long book fair is arranged every year in February commemorating the sacrifices of people who laid down their lives on February 21, 1952 for establishing Bangla as mother tongue.
Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar and a few other brave sons of the soil were killed in police firing on the day when students came out in a procession from Dhaka University campus defying section 144 to press home their demand for the recognition of Bangla as a state language of the then Pakistan.