Boi Mela only for original publishers from next year
To conduct the month-long Amar Ekushey Boi Mela in a more organised way, the Bangla Academy authorities have decided to allocate bookstalls only to original publishers and to limit the fair to the academy premises from next year.
“We are not ready to allot stalls to any socio-cultural or non-governmental organisations (NGO) from next year as the fair will be exclusively for original publishers,” Bangla Academy Director General Dr Shamsuzzaman Khan told journalists in the city.
The academy authorities disclosed the decision of the 23-member Amar Ekushey Grantha Mela Executive Committee at a press briefing in the academy's administrative building yesterday.
Shamsuzzaman said they had been considering shifting a portion of the stalls to the Dhaka University Gymnasium from next year, but the idea was dropped as it would be difficult to maintain the fair at two places.
“So, we decided to keep the fair limits within the Bangla Academy premises,” he said.
The authorities will go for implementing the decision unless pressurised otherwise, said Shamsuzzaman. He, however, did not clarify as to who or what could create the pressure.
The fair executive committee made the decision against the backdrop of widespread allegations that a huge number of socio-cultural organisations and NGOs have been setting up stalls at the book fair every year, violating the rules and regulations of the fair authorities.
Most stalls did not carry the required number of publications and the authorities had to face problems in maintaining discipline at the fair.
Shahida Khatun, director (Establishment, Planning and Training Division) of Bangla Academy, who is also member secretary of the fair executive committee, said the committee would first undertake a policy to trace out the original publishers and then go for implementing the decision.
Murshiduddin Anwar, deputy director of Bangla Academy, said if the decision was implemented, the number of bookstalls would be limited to 150-155. The number was 425 this year.
Noted cultural personality Ramendu Majumdar, a member of the fair executive committee, said stalls should be allotted on the basis of the quality of books the publishers bring to the fair and not by quantity.
Meanwhile, a total of 115 new titles arrived at the book fair yesterday. There were, however, fewer visitors than in the last few days.
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