Tomorrow marks the start of the month-long Amar Ekushey Book exhibition-2025 on the grounds of the Bangla Academy and Suhrawardy Udyan. The nation’s largest book exhibition will be inaugurated by Chief Adviser Prof. Muhammad Yunus.
“Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus is likely to inaugurate the Book Fair at 3pm on February 1,” Amar Ekushey Book Fair Committee Member Secretary Dr Sarkar Amin told a press conference at the academy’s Abdul Karim Sahitya Bisharad auditorium on Thursday.
The theme for this year’s book fair is “July Gono Obbhuthyan: Notun Bangladesh Binirman” (The July Uprising: Rebuilding a New Bangladesh”).
Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, the cultural affairs adviser, will be the special guest speaker at the inauguration ceremony. Professor Abul Kasem Fazlul Haque, the president of the Bangla Academy, will chair the welcome address, which will be delivered by Director General Muhammad Azam.
Of the 708 publishers taking part in the book fair, 609 will be in Suhrawardy Udyan, and 99 will be on the Bangla Academy grounds. During the book expo last year, 635 organizations were given a total of 937 stalls.
The fair will have 37 pavilions, including one at Bangla Academy and 36 at Suhrawardy Udyan. The Little Magazine Corner, which will house about 130 little magazine shops, will be located in Suhrawardy Udyan under the trees next to the open stage.
Bangla Academy Director General and committee President Dr Mohammad Azam and Bangla Academy Secretary Dr Md Selim Reza also addressed the press conference.
The layout of the book fair will remain similar to last year, with some adjustments, Sarker Amin said, adding, “Due to the proximity of the metro rail station, the exit gate has been moved closer to the temple gate”.
Four entry and exit points will be available at TSC, Doyel Chattar, the MRT basing plant, and the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB).
Food stalls will be organised along the IEB boundary, while 30 washrooms have been installed across the fair venue this year, the highest number in the fair’s history, said Sarker Amin.
With more than 300 CCTV cameras positioned across the venue and archways erected at all points of access and departure, police, RAB, Ansar, and intelligence services will guarantee security.
Similar to past years, the Bangla Academy will host the fair’s main stage, while Suhrawardi Udyan will host the “Lekhak Bolchi” and book unwrapping stages.
The main stage will host daily seminars at 4 p.m., with cultural events to follow.
A special “Children’s Hour” will run from 11am to 1pm on Fridays and Saturdays, excluding 8 and 15 February. Like previous editions, several recreational activities including art, recitation, and music competitions for children and teenagers will be organised as part of the fair’s activities.
This year, the Amar Ekushey Book Fair aims to be eco-friendly and zero-waste, said the organizers, adding, “All participants and book fair stakeholders are encouraged and requested to use sustainable materials like jute, fabric, and paper instead of single-use plastics”.
The book fair will remain open for all from 3:00pm to 9:00pm on working days and 11:00am to 9:00pm on public holidays with a one-hour break for lunch and prayers. Marking the International Mother Language Day on 21 February, the fair will begin at 8am and run until 9pm.
Following its previous traditions, several awards will be handed over to outstanding publications from 2024, including the Chittaranjan Saha Memorial Award for quality publications, the Munir Chowdhury Memorial Award for artistic excellence, Rokonuzzaman Khan Dadabhai Memorial Award for children’s literature, and the Qayyum Chowdhury Memorial Award for aesthetic stall design.
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