United News of Bangladesh

Amar Ekushey Boi Mela, the beloved cultural festival of Bengalis, continued for the seventh day on the premises of Bangla Academy and Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital. However, the fair has yet to gain full momentum, with a comparatively low turnout of visitors and buyers. Held under the theme “Multidimensional Bangladesh,” this year’s Amar Ekushey Boi Mela is unfolding in a different reality, marked by a delayed inauguration, a reduced number of participating publishers, the atmosphere of Ramadan, and shortened operating hours. Breaking away from its usual pattern, the fair has faced several challenges since the beginning. Compared to previous years, the number of visitors and readers is noticeably lower. Due to fasting and the intense afternoon heat, people are less inclined to visit the fairgrounds during the daytime. Despite these challenges, many book lovers are still visiting the fair to purchase their preferred titles. A visit to the fairgrounds on the seventh day revealed that many stall operators were passing idle time. They believe that ahead of Eid, people are more focused on shopping elsewhere. Ashraf Hossain Shimanto, a salesperson at Muktadhara Publications, said people are now more attentive to Eid shopping. “Many come here after shopping at markets just to stroll around. They look at books and take photos, but do not buy,” he noted. Another salesperson in Shikhor Publication said, readers usually buy at least one or two books at the fair. “But this time, due to Ramadan, the number of such buyers has also declined. We are spending the entire afternoon sitting idle. Occasionally someone comes, flips through books, and leaves,” he added. Meanwhile, 81 new titles were submitted to the fair’s information center on the seventh day. At 3:00 pm, a discussion titled ‘Remembrance: Sanjida Khatun’ was held at the main stage of the fair. The keynote paper was presented by Mofidul Haque. The discussion was attended by Bangla Academy Director General Professor Mohammad Azam and chaired by Bhishmadev Chowdhury.\ Children enchanted by puppet show as Boi Mela comes alive on day 2 Professor Mohammad Azam said Sanjida Khatun lived a complete, refined, and dignified life. One of the key traits of her personality was deep concentration. She enjoyed discussing music and providing detailed analyses. Her identity as a teacher blended seamlessly with her roles as an essayist, critic, and analyst. Undoubtedly, her multifaceted contributions to the overall practice, institutionalization, and socialization of music will remain foremost. In addition, fiction writer Nasima Anis spoke about her own books at the “Lekhok Bolchi” session.