Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday urged the quarters concerned to present the best creations of Bangla language in the world arena through their translation into foreign languages.
“I request you to present the best creations of the Bangla language to the world through their translation,” she said, inaugurating the largest ever month-long Ekushey Book Fair at the Bangla Academy premises and on a part of Suhrawardy Udyan in the city.Sheikh Hasina mentioned that following the path shown by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, she gives her speech in Bangla in the United Nations General Assembly every time. She said that her government is trying to make Bangla as one of the official languages of the United Nations. “For this, we need your all out support.”
Emphasizing the use of modern technology in the publication industry of the country, the Prime Minister said that the government is very much sincere about the welfare of the writers and publishers.
In this regard, she said the government is formulating a book policy that will make publication easier. She also said that in the ninth Parliament, her government enacted a law, ‘Bangla Academy Act 2013′, to expand the working area of Bangla Academy.
Hasina said that as per her assurance, this time the book fair has been extended to a part of the historic Suhrawardy Udyan where the people of this country showed their rejection to Jinnah when he proposed making Urdu as the only state language of erstwhile Pakistan.
”At this Suhrawardy Udyan (formerly Race Course Maiden), Father of the Nation (Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman) gave his historic March 7 speech (in 1971); Pakistani occupation force surrendered and Bangabandhu gave his maiden speech here in independent Bangladesh in 1972.
She said that with the expansion of the fair area, more publishing houses will be able to participate in this year’s book fair and their professionalism will increase. The book fair will spur the economic activities of the ocountry.
The Prime Minister requested the writers and publishers to present more creative and in depth creations for enriching the whole nation.
She said that writers and publishers have a very important role in flourishing the thoughts of a nation. “They will also have to play more effective role to guide our new generations and make them more cultural minded.”
”At one stage, heroic sons of the soil sacrificed their lives to establish our mother tongue. Bangla,” she said adding that the 21st February is a day marked by their blood.
Sheikh Hasina referred to the role of some expatriate Bangladeshis who had contributed and supported the then Awami League government’s efforts in establishing 21st February as the International Mother Language Day that enabled earning the recognition of the UNESCO in 1999.
Terming the publishing of the three-part ‘Dictionary on Evolution of Bangla Language’, a great work done by Bangla Academy, she said: “It will uncover a new horizon in the fields of research on our Mother Tongue.”
In this regard, the Prime Minister sought more active role in protecting and flourishing the languages and cultures of the country’s small ethnic groups, saying these are also equally important. She said people could enter the world of vast knowledge by going through new books at the month-long book fair and enrich them with the spirit of Amar Ekushey.
Praising the role of Bangla Academy in promoting Bangla language, literature and culture, the Prime Minister said that since its inception in 1955, Bangla Academy is making relentless efforts for intellectual development of the Bengali people. Later, she formally inaugurated the Ekushey Book Fair 2014.
With President of Bangla Academy and Professor Emeritus Dr Anisuzzaman in the chair, Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor also spoke at the function as special guest while Director General of Bangla Academy Shamsuzzaman Khan gave the welcome address.
Earlier, the Prime Minister distributed the Bangla Academy Literary Awards to eleven recipients and gave them a crest and cheque for Tk 100,000 each. She also gave Bangla Academy Fellowship Shmarak to eminent mime artist Parthapratim Majumdar.
Director General of Bangla Academy Shamsuzzaman Khan also presented the Prime Minister with a set of the three-part ‘Dictionary on Evolution of Bangla Language’.
This year, the government institutions and organisations will set up their stalls on the Bangla Academy premises while all the publishing houses will set up their stalls at Suhrawardy Udyan.
All the necessary tasks like allocation of stalls, security measures and budget for the fair have already been taken care of. The final touch is going on as setting up book stalls is almost complete. The authorities have allotted 262 stalls to publishers in three categories — 131 for single unit, 83 for double unit, and 48 for triple unit — out of 320 applications received from the interested publishers.
A little magazine corner with 55 publishing houses has been set up at the Bangla Academy premises in memory of late poet Khondokar Ashraf Hossain, vice-chancellor of Jatiya Kabi Nazrul Islam University in Mymensingh and former professor of Dhaka University.
Publishers welcomed the decision of the Bangla Academy authorities for extending the venue up to Suhrawardy Udyan as it will facilitate the participation of more publishers at the book fair this time. The authorities have made arrangements for tight security measures in and around the Bangla Academy premises and Suhrawardy Udyan to avert any untoward incident. Close Circuit TV (CCTV) cameras will be installed at different points of the book fair. A temporary police camp will be set up in the fair while police, Rab and plainclothes law enforcers will be deployed at the fair venue, the Bangla Academy official said.
The Ekushey Book Fair will remain open from 3 pm to 9 pm every working day and from 11 am to 9 pm on holidays. On February 21, the International Mother Language Day and Martyrs’ Day, the fair will remain open from 8 am to 9 pm.
The 31st Amar Ekushey Book Fair is dedicated to recently deceased Muhammad Habibur Rahman, former chief justice and chief adviser of the country’s first caretaker government. Later, in the fair, “Chhittaranjan Saha Smriti Puraskar” and “Munier Chowdhury Smriti Puraskar” will be awarded to the best publishers for quality publications of last year.
This year, as part of new arrangements, the government sponsored publications have set up their stalls inside the Bangla Academy premises, while all the private publishing houses will operate from the adjoining Suhrawardy Udyan.
Bangla Academy will offer 30 percent discount on their books, while other publishers will give 25 percent discount on the prices of books. Wi-Fi facilities will be available at the fair.
The book fair was held for the first time in 1972 in an informal manner at the Bangla Academy premises. It was institutionalised in 1978. In 1984, the fair was named as the Amar Ekushey Book Fair. – UNB
