The month-long momentum culminated yesterday into what book sellers said was the best day of the Ekushey Boi Mela this year.
Thousands thronged the Boi Mela on the final Friday of the annual book fair, pushing sales numbers upward and helping publishers recuperate somewhat from the losses suffered because of a rain-washed lost day of business on Wednesday.
From 10:30am to 8pm, book stall attendants stayed busy dealing with the rush of visitors. The crowd only grew bigger as the day progressed into the evening.
Publishers and stall attendants told the Dhaka Tribune that sales were better than other days.
“Sales have been quite satisfactory as the fair ground is buzzing with thousands of visitors,” said Masud Rana, manager at Abosar Prokashona Shangstha.
Echoing Masud, Tamralipi Publisher AKM Tarqul Islam Roni said: “It is perhaps the best weekend day of the fair this year.”
Badol Kumar Das, a development worker, visited the fair yesterday with plans to buy over 500 children’s book for his organisation.
“I am buying children’s books which will be distributed among the children through the organisation I work for,” he said.
The Dhaka Tribune also found many representatives from rural libraries visiting the fair, looking for their desired book titles.
The book fair saw its last children’s hour yesterday, with competitions and prize giving ceremony being held on Bangla Academy premises; cultural personality Ramendu Majumdar and Bangla Academy DG Shamsuzzaman Khan were present for the ceremony.
Remembering Avijit Roy
The fair grounds observed a minute of silence at 4pm to honour the memory of author and blogger Avijit Roy, who was brutally killed a year ago while returning home from the book fair.
All writers, publishers and bookworms visiting the fair observed the minute’s silence and demanded exemplary punishment for the killers.
Publishers plea
Calling for the book fair to stay open from 11am to 9pm for the last three days, the Academic and Creative Publishers Association of Bangladesh held a press conference at Suhrawardy Udyan yesterday.
But the fair committee’s Member Secretary Dr Jalal Ahmed said they had no plan to extend the time of the fair.
