To pay respect to his late father and encourage reading, a young man named Rakib Hasan in Kishoreganj's Bajitpur upazila built a wall of his house with some book covers.
The online media Bangla Tribune on Tuesday reported that the main entrance gate to the house is just like a book.
The name of the house is Anandadhara. The boundary wall of the house next to the main gate is decorated with book covers instead of bricks. The boundary wall on both sides of the gate is like a huge bookshelf. Covers of 33 popular timeless books adorn the boundary wall.
Rakib's teacher, also retired headmaster of Bajitpur Nazirul Islam Collegiate School, Saiful Islam went to see the house.
The headmaster said: “His efforts to make people drawn towards books is unmatched. The current generation is addicted to various electronic devices including mobiles.”
“With his initiative, children will know about books. They will understand that books show people the way to light. For those who forgot to read books, Rakib's initiative deserves praise,” he added.
School and college students are flocking to see the book-shaped wall every day.
Sumaiya Khanam, a ninth grader of Sararchar Shibnath High School, said: “After it was built, I often come here on my way to school. We have written the names of many books from here. If it was not created, we would not know about such books by famous authors.”
“I heard that he will also build a library here. If that is the case, I can come here and read books,” she added.
After the construction of the two-storied house, Rakib started the construction of the boundary wall in 2020. First, the wall structure was made of bricks and steel sheets were placed on it where the covers of different books are stacked like bookshelves.
Rakib said that everyone in the family has an addiction towards books. His elder brother is a writer. There was a library in their house since the liberation war. So, they are all very interested in reading books from a young age.
He said: “It took at least six months to find skilled craftsmen to build a boundary wall like a bookshelf. After spending days and nights with them, the wall finally took shape. But I don't want to stop here. I will make a big library at home."