Extending Ekushey Book Fair

Amar Ekushey Book Fair is a congregation of book lovers, authors and publishers, for which they wait eagerly throughout the year. The month-long fair usually starts on February 1, commemorating the historic Language Movement of February 1952. This year, the fair has been slated to begin from February 15 and continue till February 28 due to a recent spike in Covid-19 cases.

The largest book fair in the country highlights the vibrancy of Bangla language and literature. Young people nowadays are more internet- and social media-oriented. They hardly go through books. This fair promotes among them the habit of reading books. The fair venue acts as a meeting place where the readers can meet their favourite authors and publishers. This is not just a book fair. It is more.

However, the event has been delayed on consideration of the Covid-19 situation. Since the number of virus cases is dropping in the country, we hope the authorities concerned will consider extending the fair and make it a month-long one. But the pandemic is not over, so the organisers are trying to ensure the health guidelines such as wearing masks, maintaining physical distancing and provision for hand sanitisers at various points. We hope all visitors will comply with these guidelines in order to make the book fair a success.

Badsha Faysal,

Jurain, Dhaka,

[email protected]