Author Prof Zafar Iqbal has urged parents to encourage their children to read books and teach them to spend money on buying books.
He said this on a visit to Shishu Prahar (children’s hour) at the Amar Ekushey Boi Mela on Saturday.
“Divert the attention of kids from Youtube-Facebook to reading books. When I read a book, it enhances my thought process and imagination. But prolonged digital entertainment can have detrimental effects on your child’s psyche.”
He further said: “It would be a very good initiative, if every school takes responsibility to organize trips to the fair.”
On Saturday, the book fair became an entertaining place for children as they visited the fair and enjoyed the Shishu Prahar along with their parents.
Children and their guardians gathered at the Shishu Chattar on the east side of Suhrawardy Udyan from 11am to 1pm every Friday and Saturday so children could immerse themselves in quality entertainment.
Akib, a seven-year-old boy said: “I came here to buy some books and really enjoyed this part of my visit. My parents bought me two comic books.”
Parents thought the Shishu Prahar segment is a great initiative by the book fair authorities.
The Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2019 has dedicated the first two hours for children, called ‘Shishu Prahar,’ from 11am to 1pm every Friday and Saturday for the duration of the fair.
