Curtain falls on Ekushey Book Fair

Curtain fell on the month-long Ekushey Book Fair, the largest book fair in the country, on Sunday with gathering of thousands of book lover on the fair premises.
The book lovers who crowded the Bangla Academy premises throughout the day were seen busy browsing books for the last moment or having a look on the new arrivals.
Bangla Academy and the Bangladesh Book Publishers and Sellers’ Association jointly organized the month-long annual event marking the Language Movement in 1952.
Bangla Academy sources said this year’s total sale in the fair was about Tk 20 crore while Bangla Academy alone sold books worth over Tk 65 lakh.
Some 3,354 new books unveiled in the fair this year. The new titles unveiled this year, include 807 poetry collections, 581 novels, 378 stories, 255 articles, 129 children’s books, 110 books liberation war and 87 on research.
This year, the fair was divided into four zones-commercial publishing houses, children’s books, publications of socio-cultural organisations, NGOs and other organisations.
A number of innovative programmes include discussions and cultural programmes focusing on the literary personalities of the 20th century were held every day. The academy also set up a writers’ corner.
The Liberation War Museum (LWM), Dhaka at a stall displayed several books and photo albums on the Liberation War. The museum encourages preservation of Liberation War memorabilia.
The Bangla Academy authorities have given “Chita Ranjan Memorial Award” to Bipul Prakash, Suborna and Pathak Samaabesh for best books.
Besides, “Sardar Joynuddin Memorial Award” was given to three stalls for their eye catching and artistic decorations. The stalls are Toitumbur, Katha Prakash and Mawla Brothers.
Nazrul Islam and Dr Fatema Anis have been awarded with “Palan Sarkar Award” for purchasing highest number of books.

Courtesy of UNB via The New Nation