Young couples and book lovers flocked to the Ekushey Book Fair in the capital Friday looking for the books of their choice to present their loved ones on the occasion of the Valentines' Day, reports UNB.
Long queues of young people in colourful dresses before the entry points at the venue gave the fair a new dimension today as the cheerful faces crowded the area from Shahbagh to the High Court through the Bangla Academy road before the fair opened at 11 am.
During a visit to the book fair Friday, the UNB correspondent found that thousands of boys and girls thronged the fair and its adjacent areas and were busy in collecting their favourite books from different stalls at the book fair.
Piyal-Anne, a young couple, has come to the book fair from Mymensigh, to enjoy the day together and to present books to each other on the special day. Piyal bought a book - Kanchhho Keno Kanya written by Imdadul Haque Milon - and presented the same to his beloved at the fair venue.
"Every year, we come to the book fair… we planned earlier this year to come to the book fair on Valentine's Day to pass time together. We feel quite happy visiting the fair together today," Piyal said.
Another young couple, Azizur Rahman and Amena who came to the capital from Khulna, was found busy browsing the books at the fair venue. They bought two books - Hahnemann (Zafar Iqbal) and Ekattor Ebong Amar Baba (Humayun Ahmed).
Talking to reporters, Azizur Rahman said: "I love book and my beloved. So, I present my favourite books to my beloved on the special day."
Attendants in the stalls-both at the Bangla Academy premises and in the extended part at Suhrawardy Udyan-were in colourful dresses to greet the increased number of book-loving visitors in the afternoon.
Mujibur Rahman, executive director of Bidya Prakash, told UNB that the sale of books at the fair is increasing day by day.
"Today, we've increased number of visitors in our stall. I hope the sale of book will increase in the coming days," he said adding that Bidya Prakash has brought 40 books at the fair till the date.
Amir Hamza Babu, a salesman at Prothama Prakashani, said all types of books were being sold, but the books written by Zafar Iqbal, Humayun Ahmed and Anisul Haq were in more demand.
A total of 110 titles hit the fair till Thursday. Collections of poetry with 21 titles lead the tally, followed by 20 novels, 18 short stories, and 9 of essay and 8 for children.
Friday, being a public holiday, the fair remained open from 11 am to 8:30 pm. On working days, the fair remains open from 3 pm to 8:30 pm.
