Rayhanul Islam Abir :
The Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2020 witnessed huge crowds at its Bangla Academy and Suhrawardy Udyan premises on Tuesday.
A large section of the visitors, mostly current or former students of Dhaka University besides different educational institutions, were seen roaming around the stalls, discussing about authors, arguing about their works and buying books.
Books sale also got momentum with the increased number of visitors on the 17th day of the fair. The publishers expressed their satisfaction over the book sale. But they did not disclose their amount of sale.
However, Bangla Academy announced their sale amount of the first 17th days of the fair. The Academy has sold a total of one core nine lakh 79 thousand and 732 taka.
Mahfuzur Rahman, a final year Law Department student of Dhaka University, told The New Nation, “The fair is a fuel for the soul. You cannot imagine any other literary festivals on this scale in Bangladesh where one is surrounded by books, books, and books.”
Mahmudul Hasan tanvir, a student of Dhaka University, said, “I’m planning to buy some new books. But, I’m short on cash. I’ll wait for my tuition payday.”
He also said the Suhrawardy Udyan and Bangla Academy premises turn into his favourite destination for an evening walk during the book fair.
Not everyone from the Dhaka University is looking for pleasure readings. Some are gathering materials for their current semesters. Sheikh Saida Afrin Shafi, a student of Women and Gender Studies, is one of them.
“The close proximity of the fair allows me to check new titles related to my studies,” Shafi explained. She said lucrative discounts brought down the expenses. “We even find rare books unavailable at our department’s library,” she added.
Government Job holder Rakibul Hasan Bhuyan, also a former Dhaka University students, insisted that coming to the fair had become a routine since his university days.
“The stalls have changed, new students have taken our place, but the fair is still a place where I find a breath of fresh air,” he said, adding, “Apart from the books, the fair is also a place to find old friends.”
A total 2,475 new books hit for the last 17th days of the fair. Of them, ‘Itishas Shorone Bangladesh Chhatra League’ of Khandaker Habib Ahasan from Agami Publication, ‘Mamtaj Uddin Ahmed Amar Shikkok’ of Mohon Hasan, Ela Bhowmick, Milon Roy and Shamsuddin Didar from Monon Publication, ‘Galpo Sakol Prothom Khanda of Syed Manjurul Islam from Anna Prokash and ‘Bipiner Sangsar’ of Bivutibhusan Bandapadhay from Oitezza drew attention of the book lovers.
