PM stresses digital book publication to promote Bengali literature globally

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday stressed the need for digital publication of books and their translations to promote Bengali language, literature and culture throughout the world, reports UNB.
"If we want to spread our language, literature and culture massively, we should keep pace with time. So, I would like to request the publishers to publish not only printed books but also digital books," she said.
The premier made this call while opening the Amar Ekushey Book Fair-2024 at the Bangla Academy premises here Thursday afternoon.
The Bangla Academy is organising the country's largest annual book fair on its premises and adjoining Suhrawardy Udyan.
At the function, the Prime Minister unveiled covers of two books titled "Collected Works of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: Volume-2" and "Praner Melay Sheikh Hasina," published by Bangla Academy.
The book lovers can visit the fair from 3 pm to 9 pm on working days and from 11 am to 9 pm on holidays. However, all entry points will be closed after 8.30 pm. On February 21, International Mother Language Day, fairgoers can enter the show at 8 am.
At the opening ceremony, the prime minister distributed the Bangla Academy Sahitya Puroshkar-2023 (Bangla Academy Literary Award 2023) among its recipients.
Pointing at the publishers, Hasina said if they become digital publishers, their books can be reached to all the people in the foreign lands. "People speaking the other languages would be able read the books," she said.
In this context, she directed the Bangla Academy to open a web portal with the digital versions of its published books for online readers.
Alongside the print books, it is essential to make audio version books available in the libraries, she added.
The premier thanked the Bangla Academy for its contribution to translation literature saying that once many demanded not to translate foreign literatures.
"But I am in favour of translation. How can we know other nations, countries and cultures if the literatures of other languages are not translated?" she said.
At the same time, the people of different languages will get scope to read Bengali literature as much as Bengali literature can be translated into other languages, Hasina added.
"If we can translate our books into other languages, we will be able to raise our mother language Bangla, literature and culture throughout the world in a faster way. So, we need to make sure of it," she said.
Referring to her government's vision-2041, the PM said Bangladesh would be smart in future by making its population, government, economy and society smart.
"If we want to build a smart society, we'll have to enrich everything like language, literature and culture," she said.
Noting that now the book fairs are held in district-level, the prime minister said the government would take this book fair to upazila-level in phases.
Mentioning that Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman delivered his speech in Bengali in the United Nations General Assembly in 1974, Hasina said Bangabandhu had taken Bengali to the international stage.
As Rabindranath Tagore had brought international recognition for the Bengali language Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman took Bengali language to the international stage through his speeches, works and political, social and economic struggles, she added.
Later, the Prime Minister visited different book stalls at the book fair.