Ekushey Book Fair in need of new home as govt says Suhrawardy Udyan is a no-go

Everyone should convince the government that the book fair will lose its importance if it is not held here, an official says

The government has denied Bangla Academy allotment to Suhrawardy Udyan to organise the month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair in February.

The authorities, however, did not respond to the question of where the next fair will be held.

In a letter on Nov 6, the Ministry of Housing and Public Works said the ‘Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2025’ will have to be organised at academy premises instead of the Suhrawardy Udyan.

However, the academy’s Director General Mohammad Azam said they would try again to hold the book fair at Suhrawardy Udyan.

Chittaranjan Saha, the founder of the publishing house Muktadhara, started selling books by laying a mat at the entrance of Bangla Academy at an event marking the Language Martyrs Day on Feb 21, 1972.

In 1974, Muktadhara set up a small stall inside the academy for selling books in line with the Bangla Academy's programme marking Feb 21. Many others joined Muktadhara in 1977, which marked the beginning of the Ekushey Book Fair.

In 1978, Ashraf Siddiqui, the then DG of the academy, associated the institution with the book fair. The following year, the Bangladesh Publishers and Booksellers Association joined the fair.

During the tenure of former Bangla Academy DG Manzoor Mawla in 1983, preparations were made to arrange the fair with the title 'Amar Ekushey Book Fair' but the efforts were in vain afterwards. The next year, 'Amar Ekushey Book Fair' was launched at Bangla Academy premises.

Since 1984, the academy has been conducting the 'Amar Ekushey Book Fair' as per specific principles. The fair has been officially named 'Amar Ekushey Book Fair' since 2021.

Although the fair had been held on the academy premises since the beginning, the space became scarce due to the gradual increase of its extent. Later, stalls were also allotted on the road outside the academy.

In 2014, Suhrawardy Udyan was designated for creative publishing houses and the academy premises for government and private organisations. However, the main stage and information centre of the fair are kept on the academy premises.

The book fair has been held at Bangla Academy and Suhrawardy Udyan for the last decade. This year, the book fair was also held on the vast swathes of the Bangla Academy and Suhrawardy Udyan.

However, there was uncertainty about Suhrawardy Udyan during the last fair. The public works ministry had planned to start work on a few projects in March as part of its efforts to build a cultural circle around the space.

The ministry initially informed the academy that they would not allocate the space for the 2025 book fair, sparking a rumour that the fair will be moved from the academy premises to Dhaka’s Purbachal.

However, the Nov 6 letter made it clear that the public works ministry remained firm on its stance.

Bangla Academy President Abul Quasem Fazlul Huq said: "I don't know if any such decision has been made. But if the authorities do not allow the book fair to be held at Suhrawardy Udyan, then everyone will have to convince the government that the importance of the book fair will be impoverished if it is not held here.

"It would be better if the book fair is held at Suhrawardy Udyan. I hope the decision will be changed if those involved in the fair such as the authors and the publishers explain it together to the government."