Ekushey Book Fair begins in Chattogram today
The fair will remain open from 3-9 pm on weekdays and from 10 am on weekends
The Amar Ekushey Book Fair is set to kick off in Chattogram today at the Gymnasium field of the MA Aziz Stadium.
Chattogram City Corporation Mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury is likely to inaugurate the 21-day fair. The book fair, an initiative of the Chattogram City Corporation, will continue until 28 February.
The event will remain open from 3 pm to 9 pm on weekdays. On weekends and government holidays, the fair would remain open from 10am to 9pm. There are a total of 140 stalls for 108 publishers from Chattogram and Dhaka will participate in the fair.
City Mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury has said books can largely address the problems the young generation is currently suffering because of mobile phones and drugs.
Chattogram City Corporation sources said the book fair will feature Basanta utsab, Mother Language Day, Nazrul Day, folk festival, Rabindra utsab, Moromi utsab, ethnic festival, Lekak Somabesh, Liberation War festival, quiz competition, Chattogram festival, short film and photo exhibition, prize distribution, and closing ceremony.
There will be Bangabandhu corner, Freedom Fighters' corner, women's corner, and Wi-Fi zone on the fair premises this year.
The entire fair premises will be covered by a CCTV network to ensure the security of the visitors. Reserve seats will be arranged for brave freedom fighters at the fair organisers' office.
New book unveiling programmes and discussions on various topics will be held on the fair stage every day. Bangla literature-history-tradition will be discussed on the daily programmes in the fair.
Ekushey Book Fair is organised every year, commemorating the sacrifices of language heroes who laid down their lives on 21 February 1952, for establishing Bangla as an official language of then-Pakistan along with Urdu.