The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The month-long 'Amar Ekushey Boi Mela-2008' will end today. People rushed to the Bangla academy compound to purchase books on the penultimate day of the book fair.

The annual event hosted large crowds yesterday. People expressed sadness as the fair concludes today and they will have to wait for another 11 months for the festive occasion next year.

Masud, a book lover at the fair said, "I feel sad at the end of the Book Fair when I think that I will have to wait for another 11 months for the same."

An elderly person Khairul Ahsan said, "The fair is representative of the Bangalis love for Ekushey and the mother tongue. The end of February always make me sad."

The Bangla Academy awards were handed over to the winners yesterday. The winners are Manjoor-e-Maula in creative section, Jatin Sarker for research and essay, Lutfar Rahman Riton for juvenile literature.

This year's book fair was participated by more publishers and book lovers than the past years. Book published till February 27 last year were 1,842 and on the same date this year the number reached 2,461.

The Bangla Academy sold books of Tk 62,15,665.80 till February this year, which was Tk 41,71,045.05 last year.

Eighty-one new books were published in the fair Thursday of which 11 were novels, 17 poetry books and three on the Liberation War and rest on different topics.

Launching of a number of books was held yesterday at the book fair premises. Dr Akbar Ali Khan, Chairman of Regulatory Reforms Commission and former adviser of caretaker government unveiled a book titled 'Bangladesh-Dark Facets of land Rights and Management: With Directions for Agrarian Reform' written by Prosanta K Roy, a deputy secretary of the Government and published by AH Development Publishing House.