Booklovers rejoice, fair starts tomorrow

A total of 455 publishers will participate in this year's Amar Ekushey Grantha Mela (book fair), scheduled to start tomorrow at Bangla Academy and its adjacent Suhrawardi Udyan in the capital.

This year's book fair will be bigger in terms of participation of publishing houses, said the organisers, hoping that the fair would be able to provide the readers with more quality books.

The fair venues will be divided into 13 chattars (premises), dedicated to many renowned personalities, mostly writers, the organisers told a press conference at the academy yesterday.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the fair tomorrow afternoon at a ceremony chaired by Prof Emeritus Anisuzzaman.

Last year, 409 publishing houses and Bangla Academy took part in the month-long fair.

Shamsuzzaman Khan, director general of the academy, said the academy premises, which will have 92 stalls, have been dedicated to noted writer Shawkat Ali, who passed away recently.

The Suhrawardi Udyan premises where rest of the stalls will be installed have been dedicated to Shaheed Altaf Mahmud, Shaheed Munier Chowdhury, Syed Shamsul Haq, Prof Abdul Hai, Prof Ajit Kumar Guha, Shaheed Sirajuddin Hossain, Shaheed Noor Hossain, Shaheed Matiur, Shaheed Asad, Shaheed Meherun Nesa, Nutan Chandra Singha and Romesh Shil.

“We are continuing our effort to make the fair reader-friendly and flourish the country's literature and culture,” said Shamsuzzaman.

Replying to a query, he said publishers need to avoid publishing sub-standard books and dedicate them to uphold the spirit of the fair, which is an integral part of the Bangalee consciousness.

A website -- ba21bookfair.com -- and a mobile app will be available for the booklovers from the first day, which will provide necessary information about  the fair, he added.

Jalal Ahmed, a director of Bangla Academy and member secretary of the fair arrangement committee, said they have taken all required measures including security to avoid any unexpected incident.

He said 250 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras have been installed; roads and streets surrounding the venues will be lighted, and members of police, Rapid Action Battalion and intelligence units will be deployed to ensure security.

To cope up with the rush of visitors, six entrances will be set up.

An international literary festival featuring 15 poets and writers from eight countries including India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, France and Spain will take place during the fair on February 22-23, he added.

The fair organisers will hand over two books published by the academy to the prime minister at the inaugural ceremony. “Bangla Academy Shahitya Puroshkar” will also be handed over to the awardees during the programme, he added.

All the stalls will sell books at 25 percent discount while those who obtain a bKash account will get additional discounts on different purchases, he said.

The organisers have also extended the time of the fair. On workdays, the fair will continue from 3:00pm to 9:00pm. On Fridays and Saturdays, it will open at 11:00am and continue till 9:00pm.

On February 21, the fair will remain open from 8:00am to 8:30pm.

Alongside display of books, each day the fair will feature seminars, discussions and cultural events. There will be a dedicated corner for the little magazines. Children's literature will also be a key attraction.

Film actor and road safety campaigner Ilias Kanchan and Chief Executive Officer of bKash Kamal Kader also spoke at the press conference.