Long queues of young people in yellow, red dresses before the entrances to the Amar Ekushey Book Fair venues gave the fair new colour on the first day of Pahela Phalgun on Thursday.
The cheerful faces crowded the areas from Shahbagh to the High Court area through the Bangla Academy road since morning as the academy, also the organiser of the month-long event, opened the fair at 12:00pm.
Thousands of boys in traditional pyjamas and punjabis and the girls in yellow saris, thronged the fair and its adjacent areas. They were seen collecting their favourite titles from the stalls at the book fair.
Some also presented their companions with novels and books of poems.
An Eden Mohila College fourth year student Kshema Twinkle, with her friends, told New Age that they had planned to visit the fair on that day.
‘We have come to the fair to share the joy of basanta festival and charms of book fair with our friends,’ she said.
Meanwhile, the dusty environment caused a little problem to the jovial booklovers.
‘I have brought my kids to visit the fair,’ government employee Mithun Sarker from Uttara said, adding, ‘But I have to go back from the fair venue due to dust in the air.’
Also the attendants in the stalls — both inside the academy and in the extended part at Suhrawardy Udyan — were in colourful dresses to greet the booklovers.
Abasar stall attendant Khokon said the sale was good and up to the mark as the visitors got wide space in at the park.
A total of 110 titles hit the fair. Collections of poetry with 21 titles led the tally, followed by 20 novels, 18 stories, nine books of essays and eight for children.
Also 10 new books were unveiled at Nazrul Mancha.
The academy held a discussion on Kazi Imdadul Haque at the main stage of the fair. Rezina Sultana read out the keynote paper while Syed Abul Maksud chaired the occasion. A cultural programme followed the seminar.
Today, the academy will hold children’s music competition in the morning. Also a seminar on Haji Muhammad Mohsin will be held in the afternoon.
Amzad Hossain will read out the keynote paper and Dhaka University vice-chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique will chair the occasion.
A cultural function will be held later on.
Today, being a public holiday, the fair remains open from 11:00am till 8:30pm with a break from 1:00pm to 3:00pm. The fair is open from 3:00pm to 8:30pm on working day.
Courtesy of New Age
