The second day of the 10th edition of Dhaka Lit Fest drew a huge crowd of literature lovers from home and abroad at the Bangla Academy premises.
Along with scheduled sessions, various book stalls, clay stations, food stalls, and painting opportunities at the venue were seen crowded with enthusiastic people.
People from various branches of art including poets, writers, journalists, artists appeared at the Bangla Academy premises on a foggy morning on Friday, ignoring the cold.
In the evening, the fest area became more lively and vibrant. The day's programs kicked off with spiritual songs by Sardar Afsar Uddin.
State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak had an innovative talk with young scientist Senjuti Saha on the second day of Dhaka Lit Fest at Bangla Academy's Abdul Karim Sahitya Bisharad auditorium at 10am.
Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka TribuneThree other sessions were held at the same time, including a storytelling session for children.
Fiction writer Syed Manzoorul Islam, novelist Imdadul Haque Milan talked about 'Agamir Akhyan', moderated by fiction writer Swakrito Noman.
Besides, renowned journalists from across Bangladesh gathered to talk about various challenges in the sector at a session titled “Journalism Under Pressure.”
Writer Amitav Ghosh attended a session on the novel “The Hungry Tide” which won the Hutch Crossword Award for Fiction.
Internationally renowned Somali novelist Nuruddin Farah attended a session “Lost Country, Last Words” which was held at Bangla Academy's AKSB Auditorium. The session was moderated by Director of Dhaka Lit Fest Kazi Anis Ahmed.
Meanwhile, attending the Lit Fest, three Rohingya poets have expressed their desire to return home.
Rohingya poets and photographers Abdullah Habib, Shahida Win and Ayala Akter expressed such a desire in a discussion session titled “Alternate Voices” at the Bardhoman building in the Bangla Academy on the second day of Dhaka Lit Fest.
Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka TribuneLater, the Saff winners participated in the Dhaka Lit Fest in the event titled “We are the Champions” -- which was one of the most attractive sessions of the day.
The indomitable girls of Bangladesh women's football team along with their coach have shared their stories behind the Saff championship at the fest.
Renowned artist Mustafa Monwar performed a puppet show for the children in the fest.
A discussion on OTT content was also held.
Dhaka Lit Fest director Ahsan Akbar sat in conversation with British actress Tilda Swinton at around 5:30pm.
Apart from this, there were various activities for children throughout the day, including music performances and film screenings.
Naeem Rahat, a second semester student of BRAC University's Department of Biotechnology, came to the fest and said: “When you come to a new place, you can learn something new. I came to know about many new books by coming to Dhaka Lit Fest. I got the ones I liked.”
This student also expressed his satisfaction with the management of the Dhaka Lit Fest.
Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka TribuneBangladesh's biggest event on world literature and culture began on Thursday with around 500 writers, poets, performers, intellectuals, journalists and internationally acclaimed prize-winning speakers taking part in over 170 sessions of the four-day event.
The event will feature winners of the Pulitzer, International Booker, Neustadt International, PEN/Pinter, Prix Médicis, Academy Award, Windham-Campbell Prize, Albert Medal, Waterstones Children's Book Prize, and Aga Khan Award.
People can complete their registration by clicking this link or visiting the event website by entering their name, age, gender, occupation, mobile number, and email. After entering all the information correctly, they can select their ticket category.
Meanwhile, there is good news for students. They can buy tickets for Tk200 each. If the students buy tickets for four days together, it will cost them Tk500.
A four-day VIP ticket will be available for Tk10,000. Free parking facility and access to the DLF special lounge with a VIP ID card (including lunch) are available under the patron category.
