Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said all parents should encourage their children to read literature as it can prevent them from slipping into a wrong path.

"We can prevent children from heading down the wrong path only by getting them involved in literary activities," she said.

The PM was addressing the opening programme of the month-long Amar Ekushey Boi Mela and the three-day International Literature Conference on the Bangla Academy premises.

She said Amar Ekushey Grantha Mela got the recognition as the biggest book fair of the world in terms of duration.

The Ekushey of the

Bangalee nation has been turned into a symbol of realising the rights of the people of the world who love their mother language.

She said UNESCO on November 17, 1999, recognised 21st February as the International Mother Language Day due to the initiatives of Canadian expatriates late Rafiqul Islam and Abdus Salam and sincere efforts of the then Awami League government.

Hasina remembered with deep gratitude late Rafiqul and late former education minister ASHK Sadique who were involved in the process of obtaining international recognition of the day.

She said Bangla Academy was founded on December 3, 1955, as a result of the Language Movement and the 21-point programme of the then Jukto Front government.

The PM reiterated that there would be no room for militancy and terrorism on Bangladesh's soil.

Bangla Academy Director General Shamsuzzaman Khan delivered the welcome speech at the inaugural function, with Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor in the chair.

Prof Dong You Chen, a Chinese

researcher and translator of Rabindranath Tagore's works, Austrian Menfred Kebo, Luz Maria Lopez from Puerto Rico, German writer Tobaias Burghardt and Indian essayist Chinmoy Guha joined the inaugural function as the guests of honour.

At the beginning of the programme, a one-minute silence was observed as a mark of showing respect to the memory of the Language Movement martyrs.

"Nirbachita Prabandha", authored by the PM, “Ocean of Sorrow", a translation of noted novelist Mir Mosharraf Hossain's famous novel “Bishad Sindhu" and “Hundred Poems from Bangladesh", a compilation of Bangladeshi poems published from Germany in Swedish language, were handed overto the PM at the function.

Hasina also distributed the Bangla Academy Shahitya Puroshkar among the winners. Later, she visited some stalls at the book fair.

There will be a seminar on the main stage of the fair at 4:00pm every day from February 5-28.

Like the recent years, the fair venue has been extended to the nearby Suhrawardy Udyan. The authorities have allotted 663 stalls to 409 organi-

sations - 114 in Bangla Academy ground and 549 at the Suhrawardy Udyan.

Besides, 15 pavilions have been allotted to 14 publishing houses, including Bangla Academy.

Strict security measures have been taken in and around the fair venue to avert any unpleasant incident.

Bangla Academy has organised the International Literature Conference to build a good bonding among local and foreign writers, poets, novelists as well as to create a platform to exchange their literary works.

The International Literature Conference Writers' Honorary Award will be given to six prominent personalities of Bangladesh on the second day of the fair.

The six personalities are National Professor Mustafa Nurul Islam, Language Movement veteran and researcher Ahmad Rafiq, emeritus professors Serajul Islam Choudhury, Anisuzzaman and Rafiqul Islam, and Prof Borhanuddin Khan Jahangir of Dhaka University.

A total of 27 foreign poets, writers, intellectuals from seven countries will join the conference.