Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday called upon the writers and publishers to come up in this year's book fair with creative and readers-friendly books with a particular attention that the new generation learns the right history of the country.

She also urged the young generation to make the habit of reading, buying, and presenting books. The premier was speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of Amar Ekushey Boi Mela 2011 yesterday.

"Read more books to know thyself, the country, and the world.” Every achievement of the country including the freedom and the right of mother tongue have been attained at the price of huge sacrifices, she added.

“We got independence of the country and its language in sacrifice of bloods. We will have to protect the both.” Salam, Barkat, Rafique, Shafique, Jabbar, and many more have established the dignity

of the mother tongue through supreme sacrifice, she said.

And it was Awami League that declared February 21 as Language Martyrs' Day in 1956 when the party assumed office, said Hasina.

National Professor Kabir Chowdhury chaired the inaugural session while Nobel Economics laureate Amartya Sen attended the event as the guest of honour.

“The country people should always remember those who have dedicated their lives in the language movement, as Bangladeshis hold spirit for their mother tongue,” he said.

Sen said he feels proud and gets choked hearing the national anthem of Bangladesh. He said unity, harmony, parity, rightness, and secularism have been going on in parallel with Bangla language.

Information Minister Abul Kalam Azad, State Minister for Cultural Affairs Promad Mankin, and Bangla Academy Director General Shamsuzzaman Khan

also addressed the event attended by a number of noted academicians, intellectuals, and ministers.

Bangla Academy has been organising the annual book fair since 1984 to commemorate the martyrs of Language Movement, 1952.

After declaring the fair open, Hasina visited several bookstalls and inaugurated the Jatiya Lekhak and Sahitya Museum at the historic Burdwan House in the academy complex.

The theme of this year's fair is Rabindranath Tagore, marking the great poet's 150thbirth anniversary.

A number of foreign writers and publishers have been invited to this year's fair. The venue will accommodate 376 publishers this year, which is divided into 556 units of stalls.

The fair opens at 3:00pm and closes at 9:00pm every day. On holidays, the schedule is 11:00am to 9:00pm. The fair will open 8:00am and continue till 10:00pm on February 21, the International Mother Language Day.