A Book Fair for All

Amar Ekushey Book Fair has become a grand gathering place for publishers, writers, book enthusiasts, and general visitors in the country since its inception decades ago.  Every year, thousands of book-lovers gather at the main fair venue on the grounds of Bangla Academy in Dhaka to satisfy their thirst for reading new books. Publishers, writers, and above all, book enthusiasts, wait round the year for the fair. With the passage of time, the features of the book fair have changed and different types of initiatives undertaken by innovative and philanthropic souls have given a new shape to it. This week, The Weekend Independent takes a look at what’s new and fresh at this year’s book fair.  

Though the book fair is a place for browsing and purchasing new publications or old favourites for books-lovers, those who are blind or visually impaired have been deprived of that pleasure for long. They do not get the thrill of opening and reading new books as most publishers do not publish books in Braille for them. Audio or digital books may be modern alternatives, but those versions are not available for all books. 
Realising the problem of blind readers, Sporsho, a Braille book publication house, has come forward to extend its helping hand and create a platform for blind and visually impaired readers to enjoy art, culture, literature, travel and history, especially our Liberation War through Braille books. 
“We have been providing free Braille books at the book fair since 2009. Many visitors visit our stall every day to know about Braille books. Blind people come to our stall with their families and friends to read books,” said Nazia Jabeen, founder and publisher of Sporsho, which means ‘touch’ in Bangla.
“Though we have some audio books in our stall, they are not an effective way of reading for the blind. Audio books cannot really be alternatives to Braille books. So, we all have to spread awareness among the people about the availability of free Braille books. And we want every publisher to publish at least one Braille book each year,” said Jabeen. 
Braille is a system of raised dots that can be read with the fingers by people who are blind or who have low vision. Teachers, parents, and others who are not visually impaired ordinarily read Braille with their eyes. Braille is not a language. Rather, it is a code by which many languages—such as English, Bangla and dozens of others—may be written and read. Braille is used by thousands of people all over the world in their native languages, and provides a means of literacy for all.
 “We have published 47 Braille books till now. We give the books for free to blind readers. When they come to our stall for information about Braille books, we request them to register with us, as we give away free books every year to those who are registered,” said Ahasan Habib, co-ordinator of Sporsho. This year, the book-giving programme was to be held on the evening of February 23 at Shamshur Rahman Hall on the Bangla Academy premises.
Nazia Hassan Maisha, a visually impaired student of Holy Cross College, told this correspondent: “Of course, I go to the stall of Sporsho during my visit to the book fair and I read books there. This is a very good initiative. But I do not find any Braille books at the other stalls of the fair. Publishers say that Braille books are expensive. So, they could come out with audio CDs or e-books with apps for us.”
“Books should be published in Braille for us. We may be visually impaired, but we can read. Though it is not possible for any individual to know everything, there is a way of knowing as much as we can. And that is through Braille books. By means of the Braille system, I have read ‘Bangabandhur Birgatha’ (Heroism of Bangabandhu) by Syed Shamsul Haq today,” said Ajaharul Isam Khokon, a student of Political Science at Dhaka College, who was reading a Braille book at the Sporsho stall.  
Sarwat Hossain Bushra, another blind reader who is a class 10 student of Mirpur Ideal Laboratory Institute, said: “I have read some books today, like ‘Doler Nam Black Dragon’ by Zafar Iqbal, ‘Breast Cancer’ by Naripakkho, and Aesoper Golpo (Aesop’s Fables). I have the desire to read other books at the fair, but I cannot read or buy them as they are not available in Braille. So, it is my request to the authorities of Bangla Academy to make a rule for publishers so they will bring out at least one Braille book at the fair.” 
Needless to say, digital innovations are showcased at any exhibition or fair nowadays. For example, Neelimar Bioscope, stall 62 at the book fair, is one of those that has come up with an interactive 3D animated book for learning Bangla. It is an ongoing project of Micro Tech, a group of young IT professionals. The book uses an application so young children can have fun learning the alphabets in an interactive way with the help of audio pronunciation and 3D visualisation.
“The world is changing through the use of digital technology. In this regard, Neelimar Bioscope has taken an extraordinary initiative to modernise the primary education system through augmented reality. Children will enjoy learning the alphabets with exciting 3D animated figures. They can also play in their imaginary world. We are trying our best to develop this application, and digitalise our primary education system using innovative digital technology. Other new apps are coming which will deal with Maths, English and historical sites of Bangladesh. We think that it is easier to lean anything this way. We need people’s inspiration and suggestion in this field,” said Najmus Sakib, manager (IT and operation) of Bioscope.
Augmented reality (AR) is a new technology that blurs the line between what’s real and what’s computer-generated by enhancing what we see, hear, feel and smell. AR adds graphics, sounds, haptic feedback and smell to the existing natural world.

“This is an application which can be installed from the apps store of any smart phone. After installing the app, the phone can be used to scan objects in the book. Then the objects will ‘come alive’ visually with sound in various dimensions. It is totally an interactive application that helps children to practise Bangla alphabets,” Sakib added.
Like previous years, a good number of English books have also been published at the fair. The stall of Academy Press and Publication Library (APPL) is a good place if you are looking for English-language books. 
“We have some specific readers. They visit our stall and buy books from us. We have some new books out, such as ‘Realising Potential: Bangladesh Experience in Education’ by Samir Ranjan Nath, ‘Sandcastles by the Sea’ by Azizur Rahman, translation of Sharatchandra’s ‘Devdas’ by Mahbubar Rahman, etc” said Nadim Ahmed, a salesperson at APPL.
On the other hand, the stall of Bangladesh Lekhika Shangha (women’s forum) is a platform for women writers at the fair. Shahan Ara Zakir Parul, a writer and member of the forum, said: “It was established in 1972 to promote the number of women writers in the country. And now it has 250 active members who are engaged in creative work. To mark the anniversary of the founding day of our forum, we ask for subjective writings from schoolgirls from around the country and we get huge response from them. After selecting their writings, we provide them with prizes.” 
“We have published many new books this year. Our new books are ‘Rang Tulite Bornomala’ by Shahan Ara Zakir Parul, ‘Path Amader Shati’ by Women Writers Forum, ‘Kishore Samagro’ by Dilara Zaman, ‘Bhodhodoy’ by Lipi Monoar, ‘Telapokar Meeting’ by Dilara Akhter, etc,” said Sanjida Khan Baby, a salesperson at the stall.
From the sense of humanity and voluntarism, Yukta, a social business, has launched a book collection drive at the fair. “This year, Yukta has taken a different initiative, which is collecting books for the students of Gono Unnayan Academy High School in Gaibandha. We all have come to know from the media that criminals torched the school, which has more than 600 students, in a remote char of Kunderpara in Sadar upazila on January 27. The fire damaged books, furniture, equipment and valuable documents of the school. Regarding that, we ask visitors at the fair to donate books so we can send them to the school. We have received good response from the visitors so far, and we hope others will help us during the rest of the fair to make it a grand success,” said Tunny Rahman Liza, a volunteer of Yukta.
Those who are still planning to visit the fair can do so until February 28, and revive the excitement of leafing through new books, get some to take home or give as gifts to family and friends, and perhaps, even meet a favourite author or two.

Photos : File, Courtesy

A Book Fair for All

Amar Ekushey Book Fair has become a grand gathering place for publishers, writers, book enthusiasts, and general visitors in the country since its inception decades ago. Every year, thousands of book-lovers gather at the main fair venue on the grounds of Bangla Academy in Dhaka to satisfy their thirst for reading new books. Publishers, writers, and above all, book enthusiasts, wait round the year for the fair. With the passage of time, the features of the book fair have changed and different types of initiatives undertaken by innovative and philanthropic souls have given a new shape to it. This week, The Weekend Independent takes a look at whats new and fresh at this years book fair. Though the book fair is a place for browsing and purchasing new publications or old favourites for books-lovers, those who are blind or visually impaired have been deprived of that pleasure for long. They do not get the thrill of opening and reading new books as most publishers do not publish books in Braille for them. Audio or digital books may be modern alternatives, but those versions are not available for all books. Realising the problem of blind readers, Sporsho, a Braille book publication house, has come forward to extend its helping hand and create a platform for blind and visually impaired readers to enjoy art, culture, literature, travel and history, especially our Liberation War through Braille books. We have been providing free Braille books at the book fair since 2009. Many visitors visit our stall every day to know about Braille books. Blind people come to our stall with their families and friends to read books, said Nazia Jabeen, founder and publisher of Sporsho, which means touch in Bangla. Though we have some audio books in our stall, they are not an effective way of reading for the blind. Audio books cannot really be alternatives to Braille books. So, we all have to spread awareness among the people about the availability of free Braille books. And we want every publisher to publish at least one Braille book each year, said Jabeen. Braille is a system of raised dots that can be read with the fingers by people who are blind or who have low vision. Teachers, parents, and others who are not visually impaired ordinarily read Braille with their eyes. Braille is not a language. Rather, it is a code by which many languagessuch as English, Bangla and dozens of othersmay be written and read. Braille is used by thousands of people all over the world in their native languages, and provides a means of literacy for all. We have published 47 Braille books till now. We give the books for free to blind readers. When they come to our stall for information about Braille books, we request them to register with us, as we give away free books every year to those who are registered, said Ahasan Habib, co-ordinator of Sporsho. This year, the book-giving programme was to be held on the evening of February 23 at Shamshur Rahman Hall on the Bangla Academy premises. Nazia Hassan Maisha, a visually impaired student of Holy Cross College, told this correspondent: Of course, I go to the stall of Sporsho during my visit to the book fair and I read books there. This is a very good initiative. But I do not find any Braille books at the other stalls of the fair. Publishers say that Braille books are expensive. So, they could come out with audio CDs or e-books with apps for us. Books should be published in Braille for us. We may be visually impaired, but we can read. Though it is not possible for any individual to know everything, there is a way of knowing as much as we can. And that is through Braille books. By means of the Braille system, I have read Bangabandhur Birgatha (Heroism of Bangabandhu) by Syed Shamsul Haq today, said Ajaharul Isam Khokon, a student of Political Science at Dhaka College, who was reading a Braille book at the Sporsho stall. Sarwat Hossain Bushra, another blind reader who is a class 10 student of Mirpur Ideal Laboratory Institute, said: I have read some books today, like Doler Nam Black Dragon by Zafar Iqbal, Breast Cancer by Naripakkho, and Aesoper Golpo (Aesops Fables). I have the desire to read other books at the fair, but I cannot read or buy them as they are not available in Braille. So, it is my request to the authorities of Bangla Academy to make a rule for publishers so they will bring out at least one Braille book at the fair. Needless to say, digital innovations are showcased at any exhibition or fair nowadays. For example, Neelimar Bioscope, stall 62 at the book fair, is one of those that has come up with an interactive 3D animated book for learning Bangla. It is an ongoing project of Micro Tech, a group of young IT professionals. The book uses an application so young children can have fun learning the alphabets in an interactive way with the help of audio pronunciation and 3D visualisation. The world is changing through the use of digital technology. In this regard, Neelimar Bioscope has taken an extraordinary initiative to modernise the primary education system through augmented reality. Children will enjoy learning the alphabets with exciting 3D animated figures. They can also play in their imaginary world. We are trying our best to develop this application, and digitalise our primary education system using innovative digital technology. Other new apps are coming which will deal with Maths, English and historical sites of Bangladesh. We think that it is easier to lean anything this way. We need peoples inspiration and suggestion in this field, said Najmus Sakib, manager (IT and operation) of Bioscope. Augmented reality (AR) is a new technology that blurs the line between whats real and whats computer-generated by enhancing what we see, hear, feel and smell. AR adds graphics, sounds, haptic feedback and smell to the existing natural world. This is an application which can be installed from the apps store of any smart phone. After installing the app, the phone can be used to scan objects in the book. Then the objects will come alive visually with sound in various dimensions. It is totally an interactive application that helps children to practise Bangla alphabets, Sakib added. Like previous years, a good number of English books have also been published at the fair. The stall of Academy Press and Publication Library (APPL) is a good place if you are looking for English-language books. We have some specific readers. They visit our stall and buy books from us. We have some new books out, such as Realising Potential: Bangladesh Experience in Education by Samir Ranjan Nath, Sandcastles by the Sea by Azizur Rahman, translation of Sharatchandras Devdas by Mahbubar Rahman, etc said Nadim Ahmed, a salesperson at APPL. On the other hand, the stall of Bangladesh Lekhika Shangha (womens forum) is a platform for women writers at the fair. Shahan Ara Zakir Parul, a writer and member of the forum, said: It was established in 1972 to promote the number of women writers in the country. And now it has 250 active members who are engaged in creative work. To mark the anniversary of the founding day of our forum, we ask for subjective writings from schoolgirls from around the country and we get huge response from them. After selecting their writings, we provide them with prizes. We have published many new books this year. Our new books are Rang Tulite Bornomala by Shahan Ara Zakir Parul, Path Amader Shati by Women Writers Forum, Kishore Samagro by Dilara Zaman, Bhodhodoy by Lipi Monoar, Telapokar Meeting by Dilara Akhter, etc, said Sanjida Khan Baby, a salesperson at the stall. From the sense of humanity and voluntarism, Yukta, a social business, has launched a book collection drive at the fair. This year, Yukta has taken a different initiative, which is collecting books for the students of Gono Unnayan Academy High School in Gaibandha. We all have come to know from the media that criminals torched the school, which has more than 600 students, in a remote char of Kunderpara in Sadar upazila on January 27. The fire damaged books, furniture, equipment and valuable documents of the school. Regarding that, we ask visitors at the fair to donate books so we can send them to the school. We have received good response from the visitors so far, and we hope others will help us during the rest of the fair to make it a grand success, said Tunny Rahman Liza, a volunteer of Yukta. Those who are still planning to visit the fair can do so until February 28, and revive the excitement of leafing through new books, get some to take home or give as gifts to family and friends, and perhaps, even meet a favourite author or two. Photos : File, Courtesy