The Dhaka Times Desk Ekush Book Fair is moving from Bangla Academy. Despite the criticism, this year's 21 book fair is being held at Bangla Academy-adjacent Suhrawardy.
For the first time after four decades, this book fair, which was established in the premises of Bangla Academy in memory of the great language martyrs, is going to be held outside the premises of the academy.
There has been a debate for a long time about taking this fair of Bengali life outside the Bangla Academy. Finally, in the middle of that debate, the final decision was taken to move the book fair outside.
The decision to move the book fair to Suhrawardy Udyan was taken at the inter-ministerial coordination meeting held at Bangla Academy on Monday under the chairmanship of Culture Minister Asaduzzaman Noor. It was decided in the meeting that the book fair will be held at the exact location of Suhrawardy Udyan. The fair committee headed by the culture minister is scheduled to visit the site on Tuesday.
Although it has been decided to move the fair to Suhrawardy Udyan, it is said that permission has not been taken for that place yet. Academy director Shahida Khatun, convenor of the fair committee, said that permission was taken for the stall of the book fair on the road adjacent to Bangla Academy. Now a fresh application will be made to the Public Works Department and the City Corporation.
Many people think that the range of places within Bangla Academy has decreased. Moreover, holding a fair in Suhrawardy Udyan was the demand of the time. The fair is organized to commemorate the great language soldiers. And the great war of liberation came through this language movement. Bangabandhu delivered a speech on March 7 at Suhrawardy Park. Suhrawardy Udyan is associated with freedom struggle. Therefore, if the book fair is organized there, there will be a wonderful combination of the spirit of the 21st and the liberation war. The significance of the fair is expected to increase.
However, many people reacted angrily to the decision of Bangla Academy. It has been alleged that the traditional Ekushey Book Fair is being moved to Suhrawardy Udyan in the interest of organizing the Dhaka Book Fair of the National Book Center in the same infrastructure.
It is to be noted that on February 8, 1972 Chittaranjan Saha of 'Muktdhara' publishing house organized the book fair alone with only 32 books in the upper floor of the academy. This was the first book fair in the independent country. Then in 1976, other publishers joined the fair. In this way, one day, this book fair of Mahan Ekush became a life fair with memories of Mahan Ekush. Which is being held every year in the month of February in Bangla Academy premises.
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