Staff correspondent
Thousands of people particularly young boys and girls, attired in yellow dresses, were in long queues at the Ekushey book fair entrances at weekend on Friday, also the first day of Bangla month Phalgun. The young boys wearing trousers and punjabis while the young girls wearing saris went to the book fair as part of the programme to celebrate ‘Basanta Utsab’.
Sales of books were, however, highest at the second weekend of the fair after its opening, publishers of different publishing houses said.
The fair drew huge crowd seen buying books at different stalls since the morning as the fair opened at 11:00am for weekly holiday. Young boys and girls also exchanged books.
The queues tailed back from the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission and Doyel Square to Bangla Academy gates at 3:00pm. The security personnel were in relaxed mood and visitors were not frisked in the evening. The visitors did not find any space in the fair venue. At 7:00pm, the queue touched the central mosque gate of Dhaka University and Mokarram Bhaban.
Some female visitors had to find their way out due to overcrowd. Some book lovers complained of dust at the fair venue, which increased after the sunset.
The day’s hot item was volumes of poems especially those having messages of love. A salesman of Anyapraskh said books on romantic novels and poems by different poets and writers were on high demand. Humayun Ahmed’s titles were also sold well.
Salesmen of Anwesha, Agami Prakashani, Samay Prakashan, Oitijjhya and others echoed the same.
Some publishing houses and stalls of socio-cultural organisations sold greeting cards inscribed with love poems and illustrations.
Very few stalls, set up outside the Bangla Academy premises, went by the fair rules and did not sell the books, published by other publishing houses, on the day. Sales of the books, published abroad and published by other publications, continued at few stalls although the vigilance teams were working at the fair venue.
At the Bangla Academy sales centre, demand of dictionary was high.
Tally of new arrivals increased sharply comparing to last four days as some 170 new titles hit the fair on Friday while the information centre reported arrival of 159 new titles. The figure was in between 70 and 100 in last four days.
Collection of poems led the tally of new arrivals on the day with 42 titles followed by 35 novels, 14 collections of stories, 11 collections of children literature.
Highest 19 books were launched at Lekhak Kunja (writers’ corner) on Friday.
Former secretary general of Dhaka University Teachers’ Association Professor Anwar Hossain lunched a title ‘Drishtir Antarale of journalist Akash Choudhury’ published by Mansura Prakashani.
The Bangla Academy arranged a contest of patriotic songs for children and juveniles. Around 300 children participated at the competition. A web site ekusheyboimela.com was also launched at the fair to promote the book fair.
The academy organised two seminars as part of its series of lectures on ‘Prospective Bangladesh’. Mahmuda Islam and Shafiul Alam presented keynote papers while KAM Shad Uddin presided over the seminar, followed by a cultural function.
Mahbubul Haque will read the keynote paper at today’s seminar on folklore. Shamsuzzaman Khan will chair the seminar. The academy will also arrange a competition for children on recitation today.
Courtesy: newagebd.com
