Bangla Academy gears up for Ekushey Boi Mela
Workers busy giving final touches to book stalls of Amar Ekushey Boi Mela, scheduled to get going on February 1, at Bangla Academy in the city yesterday.Photo: STAR
Publishers and hundreds of workers were seen busy giving the final touches to book stalls at Bangla Academy in the city yesterday to meet the February 1 inauguration of Amar Ekushey Boi Mela. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to inaugurate the fair, one of the country's biggest national events being organised by Bangla Academy since 1984 to commemorate the martyrs of the 1952 Language Movement. Bangla Academy Chairman Prof Anisuzzaman will address the inaugural session of the fair, which will remain open for all from 3:00pm to 9:00pm every day and from 11:00am to 9:00pm during holidays showcasing 636 uniquely decorated stalls. “We invited international personality and noted Tagore researcher Prof William Radice to visit and give the fair an international flair,” said the academy's Deputy Director Murshid Anwar. Discussions will also be held at the fair on noted Bangla littérateurs with special focus on the life and contributions of the language heroes of 1952, said Murshid. The academy will unveil 37 new books at the fair while its previous publications will be available at 50 percent discount, said the academy sources. The fair authorities are hopeful that a higher number of books of different genres will hit the fair than last year's 3,013. Like previous years, Nazrul Mancha, a stage dedicated to national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, was set up to hold cultural programmes while separate corners were reserved for children's and Liberation War books, writers and the media. The academy will present Munier Chowdhury Smrity Award to three publishing houses for bringing out the “highest number of quality books” in last year's fair while Chittaranjan Saha Smrity Award will be awarded among publishers for the “best book” published in 2011. Law enforcement agencies will remain alert to maintain law and order while fire fighters will also be there to tackle fire incidents. Smoking is prohibited at the venue. The fair will also house a stall for first aid alongside toilets for visitors.
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