United News of Bangladesh

Bangla Academy on Tuesday assured that this year’s Amar Ekushey Book Fair will be held in a more organised, inclusive and secure manner from February 26, despite various challenges, with the participation of the highest number of publishers. Director General Dr Mohammad Azam made the remarks at a press conference outlining last-minute preparations for the fair. Dr Selim Reza, Secretary of Bangla Academy and Member Secretary of the Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2026 Organising Committee, presented a detailed report on the preparations. He said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will inaugurate the fair as chief guest at 2pm. The theme of this year’s event is ‘Multidimensional Bangladesh’. Emphasising inclusivity, Dr Mohammad Azam said the fair would be ‘a place for all opinions and people’. “Additional security forces have been deployed to prevent any untoward incidents, as we believe in an inclusive book fair.” Regarding stall construction, he said publishers had assured him that work would be completed on time with extra effort. Stalls and Participation A total of 549 publishing houses are participating this year. Of them, 81 will be located on the Bangla Academy premises and 468 at Suhrawardy Udyan, with a combined total of 1,018 units. The Little Magazine Corner has been set up near the open stage area of Suhrawardy Udyan, where 87 little magazines have been allocated stalls. The Children’s Corner, featuring 63 institutions with 107 units, has been placed at the centre of Suhrawardy Udyan to ensure easy access and safe movement for children. Layout and Facilities While the overall layout remains similar to last year, several structural adjustments have been made. Due to the location of the metro rail station, the main exit has been shifted closer to the temple gate area. There will be four entry and exit points via TSC, Doel Chattar, the MRT base plant and the Engineering Institute area. Food stalls have been arranged along the boundary of the Engineering Institute. Prayer spaces, washrooms and other essential services will be available. During Ramadan, arrangements will be made for Taraweeh prayers at the Suhrawardy Udyan section of the fair. Organisers said a mobile app has been updated to make it more user-friendly, enabling visitors to easily locate book stalls. Books will be sold at a 25% commission by Bangla Academy and participating publishers, while government institutions will follow their designated commission rates. Bangla Academy book stalls will be available in both sections of the fair. Events Daily thematic seminars will be held from 3pm to 4pm, followed by cultural performances on the main stage from 4pm to 5pm. On Fridays and Saturdays, children’s and adolescents’ programmes — including drawing, recitation and music competitions — will take place from 11am to 1pm. Security & Cleanliness Archways will be installed at entry and exit points. Overall security will be ensured by Bangladesh Police, Rapid Action Battalion, Bangladesh Ansar and intelligence agencies, supported by a comprehensive CCTV system. The fair will be a polythene- and smoke-free one. Authorities said sufficient lighting, regular cleaning, dust control and mosquito management measures have been arranged in and around the venue and adjoining areas. Awards Several awards will be presented, including the Chittaranjan Saha Memorial Award for quality publishing, the Munier Chowdhury Memorial Award for artistic excellence, the Rokonuzzaman Khan Dadabhai Memorial Award for children’s literature, and the Qayyum Chowdhury Memorial Award for best stall design. A new accolade — the Sardar Joyenuddin Memorial Award — has been introduced this year for new publishing houses, with first, second and third prizes. Green Initiative Organisers aim to make this year’s fair environmentally conscious and zero-waste, encouraging the use of reusable and eco-friendly materials such as jute, cloth and paper in stalls, stages, promotional materials and food outlets. The inauguration date was rescheduled for the third time, having previously been set for February 25 and February 20, 2026, and December 17 last year. The fair will run from February 26 to March 15. It will remain open from 2pm to 9pm on regular days and from 11am to 9pm on holidays. Entry will close at 8:30pm.

“Food coma” can occur in both people and animals. After having a large meal, you may feel the urgency to rest and find a corner or bed to relax. This is referred to as a “food coma”. The experience feels lethargic, and people struggle to get the necessary energy. However, by being aware of a few steps, food coma can be prevented. What is a Food Coma? A food coma is when you feel sleepy and tired after having a heavy meal. It's not like being in a deep sleep or a medical coma. After a large meal, your body sends a lot of blood to your stomach to digest the food, which can make you feel tired because it takes blood away from other parts of your body, like your brain.  Foods high in carbohydrates and fats can also make your blood sugar spike and then crash, leaving you feeling super tired. Additionally, hormones released after eating fatty foods can slow down digestion and make you feel sluggish. When you eat carbs and fats together, it can lead to a release of insulin, which increases the production of a chemical called tryptophan in your brain. Tryptophan boosts serotonin levels, making you feel relaxed and sleepy, leading to what's known as a food coma. Read more: Reasons Why Ramadan Fasting is More Beneficial Than Dieting Causes of Food Coma The reasons for a food coma lie in the intake of certain kinds and amounts of ingredients and the workload the stomach feels while metabolizing foods. To understand more deeply, reading a little explanation will help. Foods Containing Tryptophan People often get sleepy after eating certain types of foods. Some experts say it's because foods like whole grain, beef, lamb, poultry, dairy, nuts, seeds, legumes, etc contain a lot of a substance called tryptophan. When someone eats such foods, along with foods high in carbs, like rice or mashed potatoes, it can make them feel even sleepier.  It happens because tryptophan helps the brain make serotonin which makes a person feel calm and relaxed. Serotonin also helps the body produce melatonin, which is a hormone that gets people ready for sleep. So, eating tryptophan-enriched foods and carb-heavy foods can make people feel exhausted after a big meal. Read more: Colon Cancer: Everything You Need to Know Anomaly in Blood Supply to Brain Away from the brain to the digestive organs, a slight shift in blood flow can cause postprandial somnolence. Again, eating pumps up the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), which is liable to regulate different body functions like blood pressure, heart rate, and digestion. When the stomach fills with enough food, the PNS gets triggered, causing more blood flow to the digestive organs and less to the brain. This lack of blood flow to the brain will cause a person to feel tired and sleepy. High-Calorie Meals Some experts propose that high-fat meals like dairy products, eggs, fatty fish, meat, nuts, seeds, etc which are low in carbohydrates can also create drowsiness.  Scientists also propose the idea of satiety signals, a rather complex combination sent to crucial sleep centers in the brain when such a meal with high fat or high calories is taken. The signal theoretically decreases hunger and arousal signals in the brain and increases sleepiness. Read more: How Does Physical Activity and Exercise Affect Testosterone Levels? Cytokines Increase Cytokines, a molecule from the Interlekin-1 family, is a signaling substance, involved in processes like inflammatory response, and is believed by experts to be responsible for augmented post-meal fatigue.  To draw an example of the use case, experts refer to any incident that involves a person taking medications to reduce inflammatory responses when the postprandial somnolence effect gets less intense and less common. Cytokines can affect the central nervous system and increase one’s perception of fatigue.