Book lovers crowd the Ekushey Book Fair premises at Suhrawardi Udyan in the capital on Monday.
Curtains fell on the month-long Amar Ekushey book fair on Monday with a large number of book lovers crowding the fair.
The sales at this year’s fair were estimated at about Tk 40.50 crore.
This year’s fair saw 3,444 new titles, less than that in the past year.
Publishers showed mixed reaction about sales. Some of them, mostly renowned publishing houses, expressed satisfaction over sales while others said that sales were dissatisfactory at this year’s fair held on Bangla Academy and Suhrawardy Udyan premises.
Holding of the annual book fair on the academy premises began informally in 1972, but it became institutionalised in 1978. The fair was named Amar Ekushey Granthamela and a guideline was formulated in 1984.
On the last day, 140 titles arrived at the fair, taking to 3,444 the number of new titles, with 939 on volumes of poetry leading the tally in a specific genre.
Of the new titles, 529 were novels, 503 volumes of short stories, 274 juvenile literature and rhymes, 197 essays and 101 on liberation war and others.
According to the records, 3,700 new titles hit the fair in 2015, 2,959 in 2014, 3,070 in 2013 and 3,669 in 2012.
According to estimates of the academy, the total combined sale at this year’s fair was about Tk 40.50 crore, while the sale was Tk 21.95 crore in 2015, Tk 16.50 crore in 2014, Tk 10.15 crore in 2013 and Tk 26 crore in 2012.
Tamrolipi publisher AKM Tarikul Islam, Samay Prakashan publisher Farid Ahmed and Oitijjhya manager Amjad Hossain Kajol said that overall sales were satisfactory at their stalls while Biplobider Kotha publisher said their sale was not to the expected level.
On the concluding day, people started coming to the fair since the beginning of fair at 1:00pm and by afternoon the fair premises and its adjacent areas were full.
After the sunset, hardly any room was left for the visitors to move around on Bangla Academy and at Suhrawardy Udyan premises of the fair, rendering it a hectic day for the publishers.
Most of the visitors were seen buying books from different stalls while some were also found buying books from the footpath.
Redwanur Rahman said that he collected all new books published by Muhammed Zafar Iqbal on the concluding day. ‘I was busy but made my time at least on the last day,’ he said.
Books of all genres saw good sales. Stall attendants said that novels and collections of novels and science fictions were the bestseller as usual.
Collections of short stories, essays, books on the liberation war, biographies, juvenile literature as well as poetry were also on the list of choice of the readers, said publishers and stall attendants.
As usual, Bangla to English and English to Bangla dictionaries sold best at the Bangla Academy pavilion and stalls.
Fair organisers hosted a concluding ceremony at the main stage in the afternoon.
Cultural affairs minister Asaduzzaman Noor addressed the programme, chaired by the academy chairman Anisuzzaman, also Dhaka University professor emeritus, and addressed by academy director general Shamuzzaman Khan.
A report on the Amar Ekushey book fair 2016 was placed at the concluding ceremony.
The academy handed over Chittaranjan Saha Smriti Puraskar to publishing house Mawla Brothers, Munir Chowdhury Smriti Puraskar to Nymphea Publications, Bengal Publications Limited and Pathsutra, Rokonuzzaman Khan Dadabhai Smriti Puraskar to Mayurpankhi and Qaiyuum Chowdhury Smriti Puraskar to Samay Prakashan, Madhyma and Journeyman Books at the concluding ceremony.
This year, fair authority shut Ba Dwip stall for publishing a book that ‘hurt the religious sentiments of people’ and another three stalls — Oikya Prakashsni, Neel Pori and Rangeen Phool –– for selling and displaying pirated books. The academy also organised a one-day International Poetry Festival during the book fair.
Source: New Age
