Publication house Adarsha, which previously got banned from Bangla Academy’s Ekushey Book Fair for publishing books of three writers, organized a discussion on Saturday afternoon at Bangla Academy’s AKSB auditorium.

The three books, on which the Bangla Academy raised objections and refused to permit Adarsha to participate in the 2023 Ekushey Book Fair, were ‘Bangalir Mediocrity Sondhane’ written by Faham Abdus Salam, ‘Unnoyon Bivrom’ written by Zia Hasan, and ‘Oprotirodhyo Unyaner Obhabonio Kothamala’ by Faiz Taiyeb Ahmad. The discussion event on Saturday featured all three writers as speakers.

As the keynote speakers at the event, Faham Abdus Salam discussed the future of Bengali nationalism, while Zia Hasan discussed the transformation of Bangladesh’s economy after the recent revolution.

Writer Faiz Taiyeb Ahmad also spoke at the event, alongside guest speakers Ehsan Mahmood, Salah Uddin Shubhra, Mahbub Morshed and Mahabub Rahman, the CEO of Adarsha Publications.

“Bengali nationalism has failed miserably in Bangladesh, and there are many reasons for this failure. The idea of Bengali nationalism has been imposed on the people from the beginning, in which, a man who did not directly participate in the Liberation War has been positioned as a god,” writer Faham Abdus Salam said at the event.

He added, “Different groups have been represented differently in Bengali nationalism, and people had to do certain things, otherwise they cannot be called ‘Bangali’. Coexistence can never be created with such ideas. Those who did not obey those ideologies were refrained from being labelled as true Bengalis.”

Writer Zia Hasan in his speech proposed several solutions to the economic challenges, such as lowering the cost of living, reducing the size of the government per the plan, and restoring the rule of law.

“Various economic challenges, including price inflation, were caused by seven key drivers of the Bangladeshi economy during the dictatorship period. This is based on my study; others may disagree. In the near future, our economy will confront significant problems, but I believe those can be solved,” he said.

Writer Faiz Taiyeb Ahmad said, “The blessings of our independence should be available to everyone, from the mountains to the plains - regardless of party allegiance. Now is the moment to make Bangladesh's progress sustainable, and we also need to work to improve the condition of our right to express and free thinking.”

The speakers and audiences paid tribute to the martyrs of the student-led movement and mass uprising, which led to the historic resurgence in the country on August 5.