The month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2024 is poised to commence tomorrow at the Bangla Academy and Suhrawardy Udyan premises, with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina scheduled to inaugurate the country’s largest book fair.
Bangla Academy Director General poet Mohammad Nurul Huda confirmed that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the fair at 3 pm. The premier will also present the Bangla Academy Literary Award-2023 to the winners and unveil book covers, including ‘Collected Works of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: Volume-2,’ published by Bangla Academy.
Organized by the Bangla Academy, this year’s book fair is themed “Paro Boi, Garo Desh: Bangabandhur Bangladesh” (Read Book, build country: Bangabandhu’s Bangladesh). A total of 937 stalls have been allocated to 635 organizations, with 173 stalls at Bangla Academy ground and 764 stalls at Suhrawardy Udyan. Additionally, 37 pavilions have been designated this year.
The fair’s entire organization is managed by Bangla Academy alone to avoid criticism, according to Dr. KM Muzahidul Islam, Member Secretary of the Amar Ekushey Book Fair Committee. Cultural programs, seminars, and activities for children and teenagers, including drawing, music, and recitation competitions, are planned.
Stall allotment for publications was carried out through a digitalized lottery system on January 23. The fair will be open from 3 pm to 9 pm on working days and 11:00 am to 9 pm on public holidays, with a one-hour break for lunch and prayers.
The Bangla Academy Literary Award-2023 will be presented in 11 categories for notable contributions to Bangla literature. DMP has taken measures to ensure security, deploying police personnel, setting up watchtowers, and employing CCTV cameras and drone surveillance for monitoring the fairground and surrounding areas.
