A large number of weekend crowd were seen yesterday on the 10th day of the Amar Ekushey Granthamela-2017, which has turned into a vibrant and festive gathering of booklovers, authors, publishers and researchers, reports BSS. The stall attendants were seen busy dealing with the visitors and smiles flashed on the face of the publishers as holiday crowd flocked to different stalls and pavilions.
With the first two hours from 11am to 1pm dedicated to kids as children's hour, children's presence was impressive in the morning, while the number of visitors of all ages increased as the children's hours ended.
With the first two hours from 11am dedicated to kids as children's hour on every Friday and Saturday during the book fair, children with their parents and elderly people of their families came and had a fun while browsing books, fair sources said.
They said the organisers of the fair arranged different programmes including essay writings, painting, discussion and cultural function for children on the occasion of children's hour.
Children mainly thronged different stalls and many of them were seen buying books on fairy tales, ghosts, puzzles, alphabets, cartoons and comics.
A total of 313 new books arrived yesterday while covers of 32 new books were unveiled at the book fair, a press release of Bangla Academy said.
Five books of popular writer and singer Sabira Sultana are available at the book fair.
Apart from Bangla Academy premises, around 400,000 square feet area on Suhrawardy Udyan have been earmarked for the fair, Bangla Academy Director General Shamsuzzaman Khan told the news agency.
The Suhrawardy Udyan has been decorated with 12 divisions. Some 663 units have been allotted to 409 institutions at the academy and on Suhrawardy Udyan premises.
Besides, 14 publication houses including Bangla Academy got 15 pavilions covering an area of total 6,000 square feet. Some 100 little magazines have been allocated spaces at the Little Magazine Corner, south side of Burdwan House on the academy premises.