We are disappointed to learn of Bangla Academy's reservations towards the writer of a new book published by Adarsha Prakashani, which resulted in the publisher being denied a stall at this year's Amar Ekushey Book Fair.
It is a shame that there remain institutions so entrenched in retrograde thinking that they are unable to see the virtue of other perspectives that challenge the status quo -- it is the entire nation that suffers when such archaic practices are perpetuated.
The fact that the sale of the book only increased shows that censorship remains a foolish endeavour, and serves little purpose beyond exposing the narrow-mindedness of the respective institution that is responsible.
What is more egregious is the fact that there has been no ban on the book and yet, by denying Adarsha Prakashani a stall, Bangla Academy has gone against the very ethos of what the Ekushey Book Fair stands for -- that of freedom in all its forms, be it of speech, of expression and opinions.
Make no mistake about it, if Bangladesh is to be taken seriously as a progressive nation, such instances of a censorship of ideas and thoughts can no longer occur with the frequency we see in our country. A country's progress has never been simply about its GDP numbers - the free flow of ideas and thoughts is just as if not more important.
Let this incident and the beginning of the Amar Ekushey Book Fair be a timely reminder for us to recall the true spirit of Ekushey -- of literacy, a love of books, and literature but also promoting diverse thinking, tolerance, acceptance, and becoming more informed and well-rounded citizens.
