Amar Ekushey Book Fair opens

On the first day of the February, the curtain has risen on the Amar Ekushey Book Fair, ending the long wait for writers, publishers, readers, and book lovers of all stripes, report bdnews24.com.

Prof Muhammad Yunus, chief adviser to the interim government, inaugurated the year's landmark cultural event on Saturday.

Amid the new winds of political change, the theme of this year's fair is "July Mass Uprising: Building a New Bangladesh."

The doors of the event opened to the public six months after the nation's political landscape was irrevocably altered by a mass movement.

Suhrawardy Udyan and the premises of Bangla Academy have been adorned in a striking palette of red, black, and white - a symbolic gesture invoking revolution, mourning, and hope.

Mr Yunus kicked off the event by presenting the Bangla Academy Literary Award to seven recipients.

This year's winners are Masud Khan in poetry, Subhashis Sinha in drama and theatre, Salimullah Khan in essays and prose, GH Habib in translation, Muhammad Shahjahan Mia in research, Rezaur Rahman in science, and Syed Jamil Ahmed in folklore.

The chief adviser entered the Bangla Academy premises at 3pm for the inaugural ceremony.

The event began with a rendition of the national anthem, followed by performances of songs commemorating the Language Movement under the direction of Ferdous Ara.

Mr Yunus then inaugurated the fair by cutting a ribbon and entered the fair to browse different stalls.

He was accompanied by Cultural Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, Bangla Academy President Prof Abul Kashem Fazlul Haq, and Director General Prof Mohammad Azam.

After the Chief Adviser left the premises, the fair was opened to the public. Workers for different publishing houses were seen setting up stalls as guests started to pour in.

The inauguration of this year's fair is dedicated to honouring the fallen heroes of the July Uprising, 1952 language martyrs, activists and the brave individuals who fought during the Liberation War.

This year, the number of participating publishing houses has surged, growing by over a hundred, and the scale of the fair has also expanded.

A notable addition this year is the "July Chattar," a memorial designed to commemorate the July Uprising.

Sarkar Amin, member secretary of the book fair, said: "This is the biggest book fair in the history in terms of participating publishing houses and size. More than a hundred new publishing houses are taking part in it."

Bangla Academy Director General Azam said stalls have been allotted to new publishing houses based on the quality of the books.

He said, "This time many new publishing houses have joined the fair. We have approved them with an inclusive attitude and stalls have been allotted to new publishers after considering the quality of their work."

A total of 1,084 units have been allotted to 708 publishing houses in this year's book fair, up from 946 units for 642 publishing houses last year.

Every evening at 4pm, the book fair will host seminars and cultural programmes on the main stage. Additionally, every Friday and Saturday, with the exception of February 8 and February 15, there will be a "Children's Hour" [Shishu Prohor] at the fair from 11am to 1pm.

In observance of Amar Ekushey, there will be drawing, recitation, and music competitions for children and teenagers. New book unveilings will also take place in the fair venue.