The month-long Amar Ekushey Grantha Mela-2019, a yearly event for booklovers and publishers, will kick off today (Friday) on Bangla Academy and Suhrawardy Udyan premises commemorating the language movement martyrs.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the fair at 3:00pm at Bangla Academy premises. The theme of this year is ‘Bijoy: 1952 to 1971 Ebong Naboporjay’.
Academy director general Poet Habibullah Siraji will deliver welcome speech at the inaugural ceremony while State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid will attend the programme as special guest which will be chaired by Bangla Academy president National Prof Anisuzzaman.
Veteran poet Sankha Ghosh and Egyptian writer Muhsin Al Arishi will attend the event as foreign guest.
The prime minister will unveil the second volume of ‘Secret Document of Intelligence Branch on the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’ and a book on Hasina written by Muhsin Al Arishi.
Bangla Academy member secretary Dr Jalal Ahmed came up with these at a press conference held at the Abdul Karim Sahitya Bisharad auditorium of the academy.
Director General of the academy Poet Habibullah Siraji, academy secretary Abdul Mannan Ilias, Event management organisation Nirapod Media and Communication Limited chairman Ilias Kanchan, among others, were present on the occasion.
In his speech, Habibullah Siraji assured that they have made all preparations for the month-long book fair which would be held on a vast section of Bangla Academy and Suhrawardy Udyan covering around five lakh square feet.
He also assured that foolproof security measures have been taken to ward off any subversive activity during the fair.
Law enforcers are taking strict security measures in and around the fairground including bringing the whole area under the surveillance over 300 CCTV cameras, he added.
This year, architect Enamul Karim Nirjhor is focusing on the glass tower of Suhrawardy Udyan so that light from it showers the whole area. Nirapad Media and Communication, run by actor Ilias Kanchan, will oversee the total management of the fair.
Seminars will be held at the main stage of the fair throughout the month wherein freedom fighters, researchers and organisers of Liberation War will participate.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia assured foolproof security to all writers and publishers and others during the month-long Ekushey book fair.
The area from TSC to Doyel Chattor will remain off limits to vehicles. The people with motor vehicles entering from the side of Shahbagh can park at DU Malchattor. On the other hand, those who will enter from the side of High Court will have to park at Gymnasium area.
The prime minister will also hand over Bangla Academy Literary Awards 2018 to its recipients at the inaugural ceremony.
Four writers and researchers Poet Kazi Rozi, Mohit Kamal, Syed Mohammad Shahed and Afsan Chowdhury won Bangla Academy Literary Award this year.
Poet Kazi Rozi was awarded in the category of poetry while Mohit Kamal was awarded in literature, Syed Mohammad Shahed in essay and research and Afsan Chowdhury in research on Liberation War Affairs.
This year, around 770 units have been allocated to 499 publishing houses and organisations to sell and exhibit their books and publications. Besides, 24 pavilions have been allocated for 24 publishing houses, including Bangla Academy which was the same in the last year.
155 stalls allocated to 180 little magazines at the academy premises. Last year, the authorities allotted a total of 719 units - 136 at the Bangla Academy ground to 92 organisatons and 583 at the Suhrawardy Udyan to 363 organisations.
The stalls for the mainstream publishing houses have been placed inside the Suhrawardy Udyan while government organisations and the Bangla Academy would be inside the Bangla Academy compound like previous year.
Besides, there will also be the little magazine corner on the Bangla Academy part, while the children’s corner on the Suhrawardy part, and there will be special hours dedicated to children.
The fair will run from 3:00am to 9:00pm. On February 21, however, the fair will open at 8:00am and continue till 8:30pm and on holiday the fair remains open from 11:00am to 9:00pm.
The fair will be open for visitors from 3:00pm and continue till 8:30pm like last year. Publishers will sale their book in 25 percent commission this year.
Academy and volunteers will offer wheel chairs in large number than last year to the aged people and physically disabled people for visit the fairground.
“Chittaranjan Saha Smrity Puroskar” will be awarded to the best publisher of last year and “Munier Chowdhury Smrity Puroskar” to three publishers for publishing best books in the fair last year.
“Rokonuzzaman Khan Dadabhai Smriti Purashkar" and “Qayyum Chowdhury Smriti Purashkar” will be given for the best children's book and best stall decoration this year respectively. Syed Waliullah Literature Award 2016 will be given on the last day of the fair.
Last year, the month-long event ended with a record Tk 70.54 crore sales. The amount was Tk 65.40 crore in 2017, Tk 40.50 crore in 2016 and Tk 21.95 crore in 2015, according to Bangla Academy information centre. Publishers said they were hoping for a buoyant sale this time, too.
Bangla Academy has launched an online application system for publications for the first time while GPS has been added to assist visitors locate their desired stalls. This year Bangla academy published 102 new and edited books.
Holding of the fair on the Bangla Academy premises began informally in 1972, but it became institutionalised in 1978. The fair was named then Amar Ekushey Granthamela and a guideline for it was formulated in 1984.
AIMD
