Fair offering e-books too
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Aiming to promote Bangla literature and reach it to more people, many organisations at Amar Ekushey Granthamela are offering e-books, publications in digital format which can be downloaded and read on computers and electronic devices, some even for free.
“We are bringing out books in electronic version in a bid to familiarise the world with Bangla,” said Asker Ibne Firoz, head of business operations, Bengal eBoi, which offers e-books in pdf, epub and mobi, payable through Visa, Mastercard and bKash.
Talking to The Daily Star, a visitor, Jahir Ahmed said he loved e-books for being portable. “I came here to know which stalls were giving lucrative offers,” he added.
EB Solutions (EBS) Limited is offering Banglalink users an e-book reader, Banglalink Boi Ghor, on Android and iOS devices which allows font customisation and turning of pages like traditional books.
Asharf Us Shafi, content provisioning executive of EBS, said favourite parts or memorable quotes can also be highlighted and pages bookmarked. They are charging from Tk 5 to Tk 20 for each e-book.
Seiboi is providing around 250 e-books for free. Its senior data entry officer, Shajedul Islam, said four books of Rakib Hasan -- Norboli, Pagla Ghonti, Jao Akhan Theke and Bishodhor -- cost in total Tk 480 in print and Tk 120 in digital version.
“Reading books can be a great way to pass time in traffic jams which are a common scenario in Dhaka. But it is not possible to avail printed books at that time. Digital books (downloadable on handheld devices) can be a great saviour at that time,” he said.
Senior Executive Ashikuzzaman of www.chorui.com said they took the writers' permission before publishing the e-books.
Meanwhile, 63 new books were published while Bangla Academy celebrated its diamond jubilee through an international poetry festival, attended by renowned poets from Slovakia, Morocco, Sweden, China, Taiwan, the UK, India and Bangladesh.
Poet Muhammad Nurul Huda read out an article over past and present trends in poetry and British poet Joe Winter highlighted how Jibanananda Das enlightened people with his poems attracting the world over.
Today a discussion, “Diamond Jubilee of Bangla Academy: Research Activities, Past to Present” will be held.
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