Kid’s zone of Ekushey Book Fair abuzz with little book lovers

With only four days left of the Amar Ekushey Book Fair in Dhaka, children flocked to the fair, especially at the Kid’s corner on Friday.

Parents thronged Bangla Academy premises with their kids like every weekly holidays during ‘Shishu Prahar’-special hours designated for the children from 11 am to 1 pm.

Popular puppet show Sisimpur’s characters including Haloom, Ikri, Tuktuki and Shiku welcomed the children to stage that was decorated colourfully.

Children were seen busy is choosing different types of books including comics, fairy tales or fictions and passing time with the puppet characters.

Some sellers at the book fair said everyday children visit the fair accompanied by their patents or guardians but the number increases significantly on weekend.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair on February 1 the annual event of booklovers and publishers, in the capital.

The month-long book fair is arranged every year in February commemorating the sacrifices of people who laid down their lives on February 21, 1952, for establishing Bangla as the mother tongue.

The traditional Amar Ekushey Book Fair began informally in 1972 on the Bangla Academy premises; however, the academy officially took the responsibility of arranging the fair regularly, every year in 1978.

It was then named Amar Ekushey Grantha Mela and a guideline was laid out in this regard in 1984.