Bereaved but unvanquished

She lost her husband only three months ago, reportedly to the wrath of extremists. But Razia Rahman, the wife of slain publisher Arefin Dipan, has courageously taken over his job.

Dipan, the owner of Jagriti Prokashani, was hacked to death inside his office at the capital's Aziz Supermarket on October 31 last year.

He was reportedly a victim of the religious extremists for publishing secular books.

Visiting the Ekushey book fair, the correspondent found Razia at the stall of Jagriti, overseeing all activities.

This year Jagriti brings out 19 books including poetry and novels. "A commemorative book on Dipan will be published," she said.

Jagriti used to publish 70 to 80 books annually earlier. On the fateful day, Dipan was found dead in a pool of blood on his office floor.

At the time of the killing, he had been proofreading a manuscript. The manuscript was stained with blood. Blood also spattered to the penholder and a jute sack beneath the table.

The manuscript, penholder and sack were displayed at the stall.

Dipan's father Prof Abul Kashem Fazlul Huq, who found his son dead first, also visited the stall.

Meanwhile, on the fourth day of the fair, 93 new books were published.

A discussion on Bangla Academy's 60th anniversary was held, in which Prof Monsur Musa, Dr Bhuiyan Iqbal, and Dr Aminur Rahman Sultan spoke.

Dr Moniruzzaman presided over the discussion.

Speakers said it would be a big challenge for the academy to involve the future generation in practicing Bangla literature.

The fair will open at 11:00am today, with the first two hours till 1:00pm declared as children's hours to facilitate young readers to visit stalls and buy books.

A drawing competition will also be held on the premises of Bangla Academy at 8:30am.