The Amar Ekushey Book Fair attracted a huge number of visitors of all ages on the Language Martyrs’ Day on Friday.
Thousands of book lovers flocked to the fair, looking for the books of their choice, on the day, which is globally celebrated as the International Mother Language Day.
Friday being a public holiday, long queues of people in colourful clothes were seen at the entry points.
The month-long book fair opened at 8am on Friday, but big crowds began to gather a bit later in the day.
Long queues could be seen at the Bangla Academy gate, extending up to the Dhaka University’s Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) area to the west, Curzon Hall area to the east, and the fair’s extended part in Suhrawardy Udyan.
Police removed the archway of the Bangla Academy entry gate to deal with the pressure of visitors.
Many came in groups and with their families.
Thousands thronged the fair, busy going through the stalls and making a pile of purchases.
Mili Rahman, who came from Rampura, told bdnews24.com: “I come to the book fair on every public holiday. It leaves a void in me if I don’t come to the fair on February 21. February 21 brings the fulfilment to the book fair.”
People said their visit to the fair was a deeply satisfying experience.
Publishers told bdnews24.com that they were happy with the sales.
Utsa Prakashan proprietor Mustafa Salim said that they had a good turnover on Friday with a large number of book lovers turning up. – bdnews24.com
