The Amar Ekushey Boi Mela-2021 now begins at 3:00 pm and ends at 6:30 pm everyday as the Bangla Academy has cut the timing of the book fair by two and a half hours. According to the new decision, the fair will open at 11:00 am and end at 6:30 pm on the weekends.
The book fair was supposed to remain open from 3:00 pm to 9:00 pm daily and from 8:30 am to 9:00 pm on weekends (Friday and Saturday) with an-hour break for lunch and prayers. The schedule of the book fair was changed on March 31 following the sharp rise in Covid-19 infection rate in the country.
Meanwhile, publishers have demanded of the authorities concerned to review the decision, saying that such important decision has been taken without any communication with them.
Some publishers said that if the Bangla Academy or any other authorities concerned had consulted with them, they would have suggested to keep the book fair open from 4:00 pm or 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm, as most people come there in the evening. So, they called upon the authorities concerned to reschedule the timing, considering the interest of the publishers and the visitors.
Razia Rahman Joly, publisher of Jagriti Prokashoni, on Friday said that the Bangla Academy should have taken the decision after talking to the publishers.
Echoing the same as Razia Rahman Joly, another publisher said that most of the visitors usually come to the book fair in the evening. “If the fair must stay open only for three and a half hours, then the time should start from 5:00 pm. We hope that the Bangla Academy will fix another new timing for the Amar Ekushey Boi Mela-2021,” he said.
Meanwhile, many book lovers visit the month-long book fair on Bangla Academy premises and at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital to buy the latest books of their favourite writers although the crowd is seen thin than previous years. New books are coming in the annual event close to the hearts of book lovers, publishers and authors of the country.
