Many visitors to the Amar Ekushey Book Fair are found gathering around painters and artists to get their face painted with pictures in different colours.
Around 50 painters are found every day at the fair ground — both at the Bangla Academy premise and its extended part of Suhrawardy Udyan — who paint picture of national flag, Shaheed Minar and letters of Bangla alphabet on the faces and hands of the visitors.
Also 10 others artists with their pencils and papers were found sitting on the footpath outside the academy premises this year, drawing portraits of the visitors.
The enthusiasts, both young and old, approached the painters willingly and sometimes the painters woo the visitors to have their face painted.
The visitors, especially females and children, on Monday were found thronging in queue to have their faces portrayed in wall papers and frames.
The drawings cost from Tk 20 to Tk 50 each depending on the works and the visitors, most of whom were teenage boys and girls, female visitors and kids, they said.
A former Barisal Law College student HM Sayem Raza, who wooing his clients in TSC area, said, ‘Some give us Tk 20 to Tk 50 and we earn about Tk 500 per day on an average.’
He said some 80 per cent of the total number of kids like to have their face painted with the image of Shaheed Minar.
Md Yakub Ahmed, capital’s Shyamoli School student, said, ‘I have been in this work out of my hobby and also for a handsome amount of income.’
Also the portrait artists were having a busy day.
They can deliver five to 12 works every day during the fair time, they said.
Each portrait costs nearly Tk 300 on an average, they said, colour works cost Tk 1,000 or even Tk 2,000.
A portrait artist, Md Abdul Gani, told New Age that he used to come to the fair on holidays to draw a few portraits and to pass his time.
Meanwhile, the fair witnessed a good turnover day after the whole ground was washed away by rains on Sunday.
A total of 58 books hit the fair on the day while 10 new ones were unveiled at Nazrul Mancha.
Volumes of poetry with 21 titles led the tally, followed by eight novels, seven books for children and six volumes of story.
A discussion on Mahmudul Haque was held at the main stage of the fair. Abu Hena Mostafa Enam read out the keynote paper, while Hasan Azizul Haque chaired the programme.
A cultural programme was held later on.
Today, the academy will hold a discussion on Khandakar Ashraf Hossen. Hasan Hafiz, Mostaque Ahmad Deen and Anu Hossen are scheduled to read out papers, while professor emeritus Sirajul Islam Chowdhury will chair the function.
A cultural programme will follow the seminar.
The fair is open from 3:00pm to 8:30pm all days but the weekends and holidays, when it remains open from 11:00am till 8:30pm with a break for two hours beginning at 1:00pm.
Courtesy of New Age
