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Dhaka Book Fair hopes for a change

SyedTashfin Chowdhury
The Dhaka Book fair 2005 is scheduled to start from January 1 at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
The National Book Center will organise the event which will be sponsored by the Ministry for Cultural Affairs.
Last year the fair was held at the
Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center but before that it had always been arranged at the National Parade ground.
" Due to restrictions from thedefense authorities who own the ground, we could not hold the fair at its traditional venue last year and also this year," said Shafiqul Islam, deputy director of National BookCenter.
The Parade Ground had become available only after the Prime Minister's office gave special permission but the organisers are thinking of Shilpakala Academy as a permanent venue from nowon.
"Shilpakala Academy could be the venue this fair always, needed," said Islam.
Even though the book fair was initi-
ated in 1993, it has not gained much popularity over the last decade.
Organisers hope that Shilpakala Academy being a focal point of cultural activities might usher a new era for the book fair.
"Due to the locations of venues like the National Parade ground and the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Cftiter, the fair could not attract
too many visitors in previous years," said the deputy director.
The theme of this year’s fair is 'family libraryenlightens the home'.
Over 150 applications for allotment of stalls have already been received by the BookCenter. Earlier this month, the deadline for the submission date for applications was extended from Decembers to December IS.
"We had to go for the date extension as did not receive more than 100 applications by the first deadline," said Islam.
Islam explained that as the fair encouraged participation of foreign publishers and organisations unlike the popular Ekushey Boi Mela, the deadline was therefore extended so that interested international houses could send their entries.
Reputed foreign organisations that have applied for stalls this year include the Iranian Cultural Center and the World Bank.
Local publishers like Agami Prokashoni, Jagriti, Ananya, Shomoy, Tarafder, Kakoli, Shuchipotro have also confirmed participation. Every stall has beenallotted 6-1 square feet ofspace.
The price of tickets will be Taka two only with students getting free entry. The organisers have also planned a major advertising campaign in order to attract visitors.
"We have also fixed a 20 percent discount on Bangladeshi books at the fair this year," said Ahmed Musa, director of National BookCenter.
The 15-day event would start at 3pm and end at 9pm on weekdays. On weekends and public holidays, the fair would start from I lam.