The Bangla Academy brought the curtain down on its month-long Amar Ekushey Grantha Mela on Saturday.

The presence of book worms as well as visitors was notably satisfactory in the fair this time and the duration of the fair was extended by two days to 2 March on special permission from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

This year, about Tk60 crore worth of books were sold in the fair, Shahed Montaz, assistant director of Bangla Academy said at the closing ceremony of the fair.

With Bangla Academy President Selina Hossain in the chair, Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, education and cultural affairs advisor to the prime minister, attended the ceremony as the chief guest, while Nahid Izhar Khan, state minister for cultural affairs was present as the guest of honour.

Bangla Academy Director General Mohammad Nurul Huda delivered the welcome speech at the concluding ceremony.

According to the information received from the publishing houses, books worth about Tk60 crore were sold in the current year’s Amar Ekushey Book Fair, Shahed Montaz said on behalf of KM Muzahidul Islam, member secretary of the fair organising committee.

A total of 3,751 new books were published in the current year’s book fair, he added.

According to the archway calculations, around 60 lakh visitors thronged the book fair till 1 March, Montaz said.

Addressing the ceremony, Bangla Academy DG Mohammad Nurul Huda said, “We have a doubt over the relocation of the fair from the Bangla Academy to elsewhere next year. But we will put our best efforts to organise it at the Bangla Academy premises. Our national book fair will be with our national institution Bangla Academy.”

In addition, Chittaranjan Saha Memorial Award, Munir Chowdhury Memorial Award, Roknuzzaman Khan Dadabhai Memorial Award and Artist Qayyum Chowdhury

Memorial Award were also given at the event.

This year, the number of visitors was remarkable since the first day of the fair due to the metro rail facility.

However, despite a promising start, the book fair was marred by mismanagement issues and quality concerns, leaving both visitors and participants dissatisfied.

Stall construction and design work continued until the first week of the fair, with construction materials scattered throughout the fairground.

Dust management was also notably poor, with the entire fairground engulfed in dust during weekends, despite slightly lower levels on other days. Food stalls, inadequate in number, faced criticism for their high prices and low quality, contributing to the fair's unattractiveness.

Additionally, the absence of sufficient dustbins led to litter strewn across the fairground, causing unpleasant odors.

Besides, lack of preparation for rain resulted in damaged stalls and inconvenience for visitors during rain.

Moreover, inadequate lighting raised concerns about potential accidents. Quality issues plagued the showcased books, with printing mistakes and substandard children’s books.  

The readers and publishers said these mismanagement issues highlighted the need for better planning and oversight to ensure a successful and enjoyable book fair experience.

In this regard, DG Nurul Huda said, “We faced many challenges during the fair. We have many flaws and imperfections. We have identified them, and will try to overcome them from next year.”