Amid fanfare, a month-long Amar Ekushey Boi Mela-2012 began yesterday on the Bangla Academy premises with a massive crowd thronging the 630 stalls adorned with around 4,000 newbooks.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Boi Mela (book fair) on the theme "60 years of Language Movement" with the observation, "Those who are writing books and those who are publishing them should know what the peoplewant."
She stressed developing the habit of reading books for building an enlightened society.
The premier visited some of the book stalls, which spilled onto the road adjacent to the academy premises.
She was accompanied by William Radice, British poet, researcher on Bangla language and literature and former professor of London School of Oriental and African Studies, Information Minister Abul Kalam Azad, State Minister for Cultural Affairs Pramod Mankin and Chairman of Bangla Academy Prof Anisuzzaman.
Sheikh Hasina also inaugurated the
newly constructed building of Bangla Academy.
As in previous years, the pro-Awami League student body Bangladesh Chhatra League welcomed Hasina, also president of the AL, on the Dhaka University campus where Bangla Academy is situated.
The road in front of the academy was decorated while portraits of important personalities who contributed to Bangla language and literature since 1952 were displayed at the fair venue.
The number of bookstalls at the fair this year is the highest ever. There were 515 stalls with 3,013 new books last year. Of around 4,000 books at the fair this time, 37 are from Bangla Academy, said its officials.
The fair will remain open from 3:00pm to 9:00pm everyday and on holidays from 11:00am to 8:00pm till February 29.
Inaugurating the fair, the prime minister urged the writers and publishers to ensure quality of the books to inspire the book lovers to read those. She also attached importance to protecting the rights of the writers to encourage their creativity and called upon all concerned to take
adequate measures to protect the copyrights of the writers and publishers.
Hasina paid rich tributes to the 1952 Language Movement martyrs, including Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar, andShafiqur.
The premier said her government has taken measures to step up research activities of Bangla Academy. A museum on the Language Movement and another on eminent writers had been established, she mentioned.
Addressing the function, William Radice said Bangladesh would not have emerged as an independent state without the Language Movement in 1952. "One of the main reasons for my learning Bangla was your struggle for freedom. As an English poet, I decided to learn Bangla in 1971 during the War of Liberation of Bangladesh. ”
Speaking in Bangla, he said the world did not have a good impression about Bangladesh earlier. Rather it was considered a country with poverty, natural calamities and political instability. “But Bangladesh in the last 40 years developed a lot, its image has improved in the world significantly, its economy is becoming vibrant and the political situation has been improv-
ing."
The British poet said many countries in the world could now learn from Bangladesh about how it handles global warming, and the country could be the role model in the globe in this respect.
Chairing the inaugural ceremony, Prof Anisuzzaman said every year the book fair has been expanding as more books, more writers and more publishers are coming to the fair.
“So it has become tough for Bangla Academy to manage space for a huge book fair,” he said and stressed the need for arranging the fair in future outside the academy premises. Help from the Dhaka University and Dhaka City Corporation could be sought in this regard, he added.
The Director General of the academy, Shamsuzzaman Khan, delivered the welcome address at the function conducted by Ramendu Majumdar.
Meanwhile, Shahbagh police yesterday detained four activists of proBNP Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) when they brought out a procession protesting the arrival of Hasina on the Dhaka University campus. They were laterreleased. (See Photo Page 1)