The country’s largest literature event is finally here. February is the month of meaningful cultural occasions and one of the most iconic ones is Amar Ekushey Boi Mela among others like Pohela Falgun. One of the things you need to know about Amar Ekushey Boi mela is that the month-long event takes place as a commemoration of the 1952 Language Movement. What started out as a mere display of books in 1972 has grown over the decades as the biggest literary event of the year. Read below to learn more about its significance and how it started.
Things you need to know about amar ekushey boi mela
The fair originally started back in 1972 but it was an informal inauguration. Later in 1978, Bangla Academy decided to take the responsibility of turning the event into an annual fair. Almost after two decades, seeing how people react to the festival, the book fair extended to Suhrawardy Udyan in 2013, allowing more space for book lovers to show up and for accommodating more publishers. One of the main reasons why Boi Mela has such a tremendous significance in our culture is because of the Language Movement of 1952 where people sacrificed their lives so that we could have the freedom to speak in our mother tongue.
One of the things you need to know about Amar Ekushey Boi Mela is that it’s not only about books. There are usually cultural programs going on everyday for people of all ages.
In a world where book-reading culture is declining, book festivals like this never fail to encourage new readership. So, what are you waiting for? Celebrate the book selling festival in Bangladesh with your loved ones and visit Amar Ekushey Boi Mela today!
Response to the event
A book fair can represent a society’s reading culture and so far, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. A festival like this showcases a nation’s culture, literature and heritage. Undoubtedly, Boi Mela has been doing this exquisitely all these years. This year, the theme of the book fair is ‘Bijoy: 1952 to 1971 Ebong Naboporjay’. Boi Mela is not only a celebratory event for avid readers but also a platform for people that encourages free expression and thought. A book-selling festival like this plays a vital role in shaping the minds of the youths of our country. Each year, the number of sales increases significantly than the previous year. At the same time, new publishers show up in the hopes of receiving a massive response in terms of sales.
Because of Boi Mela, publishers and writers have been taking preparation over social media in order to create a hype over their books. Moreover, online bookstores are coming up with all kinds of offers such as massive discounts in book prices, discounted deliveries and cashback offers with the intention of exploiting the book-buying frenzy during the month centering on the Ekushey Book Fair. It’s very apparent that even in this digital age, people still prefer reading books in paper format. Hence, there are a lot of prospects on online marketplaces as well.
A platform for newcomers
In terms of genre, Amar Ekushey Boi Mela will not disappoint you. Starting from war literature to poetry volumes, stories collections, novels and essays, this is a literary haven for a reader. Novels sell more than poem volumes and short stories while poem collections happen to show stronger numbers in terms of getting published each year compared to other categories. In a singular month where thousands of books are published, the shops rush in to catch the attention of the mass audience. Through Boi Mela, most of the newly published writers get a hold of their readers.
With the growing number of stalls and pavilions, Boi Mela never fails to cater to the wants and needs of readers, writers and publishers. Popular writers are usually highly prioritized among the others. However, the book festival is a platform for the newcomers, allowing them to showcase their work to the readers. If you’re a writer or a publisher, grab this opportunity. What better way to celebrate the book selling festival in Bangladesh than to get yourself published?
Are you visiting Amar Ekushey Boi Mela this year? Let us know about the kinds of books you like reading in the comment section below!
