Books not hot commodity

Eminent educationalist and Bishwo Shahitto Kendro founder Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed, third from right, receives a Tk 30 lakh donation from bKash for the kendro from Kamal Quadir, chief executive officer of the firm which provides money transfer services through cellphones, at the kendro in the capital yesterday. Photo: Star

Eminent educationalist and Bishwo Shahitto Kendro founder Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed in a jocular manner yesterday said money can be available for anything but books.
“But there are still people in society who believe in enlightenment of the soul. Such people are our inspiration to walk forward,” he told a ceremony marking bKash's Tk 30-lakh donation to the kendro on the latter's premises.
The donation will be used to purchase 34,000 copies of 76 books, including travelogues, biographies, poetries and novels by both local and foreign authors, for 460 schools as part of the kendro's nationwide school-based reading programme “Desh Bhittik Utkarsho Karjakram”.
These books are expected to be read by 45,000 students annually, said the kendro Director Sharif Mohammad Masud.

The programme, launched in 1984 and designed for students between classes VI and X, at present reaches around two lakh students of 2,000 schools annually.
“Contributing in such a revolutionary activity and helping increase the reading habit among students are great privileges for us,” said bKash Chief Executive Officer Kamal Quadir.
bKash Adviser Khalid Hasan and Chief Commercial Officer Rezaul Hossain also spoke.