Ekushey Boi Mela-2008

By Firoza Begum Poly

Boi, Kitab, Postak, Book, any word we use, is comprised of some individual sounds or letters. These sorts of word make a sentence. So do some sentence with a language. Disciplined and well furnished sentences are represented as poem, story, novel, drama, essays, lyric etc in a book. We embrace new development, match our experience, deepen our thought, and enlightened our cherished dream by reading a book. If this book is written in Bangla, we feel much comfort while reading it than the book of any other language.

As a part of nursing and promoting Bangla, Bangla language and literature Bangla Academy arranges a month long book fair having slogan of “Read book and collect them for future use” this year in the month of February 2008 at the academy premises . The first Ekushey book fair was held in 1974. This year the 23rd Ekushey book fair is on going with necessary formalities including inauguration by Chief Advisor Dr. Fakuruddin Ahmed. Centering Bangla Academy as many as 374 stalls are offering different sorts of publications to the book lovers and visitors. People from all walks of life are rushing to the fair and standing in a long queue enters in the mela not even showing a bit of disturbance. Everyday thousand of visitors thorn the mela from 3 pm to 9 pm.

This year the environment of the mela is more neat and clean. More space is occupied with number of stalls. Rate of sale is also satisfactory. A leading essay writer Dr. Anisuzzaman calls for by saying that a pioneer publisher Chittaranjan Babu took the initiative to arrange Boi Mela at the academy primises and in response to his call almost every writer of Bangladesh took part in the mela and sold their own books by sitting on old newspapers. Dr. Zaman grieves that every year we are losing some good writers for ever.

Shamim Ahmed, a migrated writer, estimates that the woman writer is also coming forward with their creative writings. She herself has come to the fair from England to get her poetry “Giol Gakham” sold. She insists on the matter that we should not undermine the woman writer by indicating them as woman writer rather we should evaluate them as a writer not by gender. Without discriminating the writer we must think of the standard of the respective writes -up.

Chayanat, a publishing house, joins the book fair this year for the first time. Wahidul Haq, the owner of Chayanat, has published some creative books for the mela. Pathachari, Anushilan, Kanthashilan, Rabindra Sangith Sammellan etc. are mentionable of them.

Rehana Ashiqur Rahman, a radio & television artist, has written & published her own book Rajkumarir Ganmadin, Rajputra, Sindabad Er Galpa and Jolakannaya.

Bangladesh Computer Association has also joined the fair. Riki, a sales woman of BCA stall, who is also a student of Philosophy at Jagannath University, marks the changing learning trends of the child. BCA has come up with audio-visual learning materials for the children. Riki says that the main focus of the BCA is to free the children fear of traditional learning system and to replace audio-visual and animated learning materials.

Bangla is our mother tounge. We feel eternal peace in speaking Bangla. Though it was supposed to be spoken Bangla as our birth right, we had to acquire it by exchange of blood, which is not a floral achievement. We had to sacrifice a lot. So we are expected to do something more to develop the Bangla Language and Literature. Salam, Barakat, Rafiq, Jabber contributed to Bangla by embracing death in 1952. It is our great achievement that their supreme sacrifice on the 21st February 1952 receives international acknowledgement International Mother Language Day. I am sharing some photos of Ekushe Boimela, 2008.