Ekushey book fair to get a new look marking Mujib Borsho

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DHAKA, Jan 26, 2020 (BSS) -Amar Ekushey Book Fair is expected to get a new look this year as the fair venue is being decorated with colourful portraits and historic photographs of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman marking the birth centenary of the great leader.

“As this year’s book fair will be dedicated to Bangabandhu, we have taken some special measures to highlight him. Those will include making five installations on Bangabandhu, organizing seminars on him and publishing a large number of books on his life and works”, Dr Jalal Ahmed, member secretary of the fair organizing committee told BSS today.

Marking the ‘Mujib Borsho’, Bangla Academy has planned to publish 100 books on the life and works of Bangabandhu over the next three years and as part of it, the academy will publish 28 books this year.

“All of our arrangements, publications and exhibitions are centering Bangabandhu and his birth centenary and we will organize seminars and different kinds of competitions highlighting the life and works of the great leader”, Jalal added.

Some bookstalls will be made in the shape of Bangabandhu’s house of Dhanmondi 32 along with setting five installations on Bangabandhu at different points of the fair area, Jalal furthered.

While visiting the place, it was seen that many book publishers have put Bangabandhu’s portraits on their signboards in different styles marking the Mujib Borsho.

Shova Prokash has already erected their bookstall following the shape of Bangabandhu’s house of Dhanmondi 32.

Besides, the Bangla Academy as part of its routine work will publish around 200 books, a good number of those on Bangabandhu, during the month-long book fair beginning on February 2 at the academy and the adjoining Suhrawardy Udyan.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the book fair on February 2 and unveil the cover of the third book of Bangabandhu, authored by himself, titled “Amar Dekha Naya Chin” (The New China as I Saw).

The number of publication houses and other organizations joining at the annual book fair this year increased to 550 from 499 in 2019 while units increased to 850 from 770 in 2019.

Like the previous years, the venue of the fair has been extended to the nearby Suhrawardy Udyan. This year, the land earmarked for the fair has been expanded to 750,000 sq-ft which was 550,000 sq-ft in the previous year.

A total of 34 pavilions have been allocated this year which was 24 in the last year.

The fair will remain open from 3pm to 9pm from Sundays to Thursdays; and from 11am to 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays. On February 21, the fair will remain open from 8am to 8pm.

There will be strict security arrangements in and around the book fair venue to avert any unpleasant incident during the fair.

Publishers from across the country will come to the fair with a wide variety of books while Bangla Academy will exhibit around 200 newly-printed and reprinted books.