India Bangladesh Festival of Books and Writers begins

(From left) Professor Bazlul Mobin Chowdhury, Dr. Syed Manzoorul Islam, Indian High Commissioner Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, Professor Niaz Zaman and Professor Serajul Islam Chowdhury at the inaugurationPhoto: STAR

To get writers, publishers and academics together with the hope of forming a platform for working out the modalities for an easier exchange of books and ideas, a five-day India Bangladesh Festival of Books and Writers was inaugurated at the Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) yesterday.
High Commissioner of India, Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty inaugurated the festival. Professor Serajul Islam Chowdhury was present as the guest of honour.
The Indian High Commissioner lauded the festival as an initiative towards strengthening the South Asian ties. Professor Serajul Islam Chowdhury insisted that such initiatives should be taken at the state level.
The inaugural session was chaired by Professor Niaz Zaman. Vice-Chancellor of IUB, Professor Bazlul Mobin Chowdhury; chairman of ESTCDT, Tawhid Samad and Lubna Marium also spoke on the occasion. Dr. Syed Manzoorul Islam presented the keynote paper.
Leading writers from India and Bangladesh were present at the programme. Writers participating in the festival include Sunil Gangopadhyay, Nabaneeta Dev Sen, Aruna Chakravarty, Moyna Majumdar and Antara Dev Sen from India and Syed Shamsul Haq, Selina Hossain, Kabir Chowdhury, Professor Zillur Rahman Siddiqui, Professor Anisuzzaman, Dr. Syed Manzoorul Islam, Aly Zaker and Lubna Marium.
The festival will take place in two venues. The first three days of the festival, being held at the IUB campus, comprises of academic sessions with the participation of writers, academics and publishers. The second part of the festival, to be held on November 5 and 6, at the Central Public library, includes readings from publications by both Indian and Bangladeshi writers. It also includes sessions involving publishers and vendors from both countries, discussing issues related to publishing.
Both venues will have stalls. Book readings have also been scheduled at bookshops like Omni Books and Words 'n Pages.