KOLKATA, Feb 11, 2020 (BSS) – Kolkata book fair committee has decided to dedicate its next book fair to Bangladesh’s Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Kolkata Book Fair Committee Chairman Tridib Kumar Chattopadhyay revealed the information on the last day of the 12-day’s 44th Kolkata Book Fair in SBI Auditorium at Salt lake Central Park yesterday.
“The 45th Kolkata book fair in 2021 will be dedicated to Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman and Bangladesh will be its focal theme country,” Chattopadhyay
said.
It is mentionable that for more than two decades, the last day of the
Kolkata book fair is being dedicated to Bangladeshi writers and books, which
is known as ‘Bangladesh Day’.
Organizers said the last day of the fair is being observed as Bangladesh
Day due to Bangladeshi visitors and buyers’ interest to it.
Bangladeshi people crowds at Bangladesh Pavilion every year, but this
year, the number of visitors was higher than the past few years, they said.
This year, the theme of the Bangladesh day was ‘Bangabandhu at birth
centenary and materialization of his dream – Sonar Bangla’.
A seminar was held to mark the day where State Minister for Cultural
Affairs KM Khalid was present as the chief guest.
“Bangabandhu is the name of an ideal, a dream… He is the greatest
Bangalee of all time,” he said in his speech.
Khalid also invited all to join the much anticipated Mujib Year
celebration.
Bangladesh National Museum Chairman Shamsuzzaman Khan presented the key
note paper in the seminar.
“Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman outlined a programme to implement his
dream ‘Sonar Bangla’ to build an exploitation free society long before the
independence of Bangladesh. But unfortunately, he was brutally assassinated.
In spite of this, the implementation process of his dream is never halted,”
he said.
“His (Bangabandhu) worthy daughter and our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is
materializing his unfulfilled dream rapidly,” Shamsuzzaman added.
Former Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor, Director General of
Bangla Academy Habibullah Siraji, Director of Bangladesh National Book Centre
Minar Masnur and Professor Gautam Bhadra were also present, among others, in
the seminar.