PM opens Ekushey book fair

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday inaugurated the traditional month-long “Ekushey Grantha Mela” [book fair] with a call to give due honour to the country's own art, culture, language and literature.

“The nation won't be developed, if we cannot give due honour and add further excellence to our own art, culture, language and literature,” she told the inaugural function of the book fair on Bangla Academy premises in Dhaka in the afternoon, reports BSS.

The premier said Bangladesh is a victorious nation which earned its independence through liberation war. “We've got dignity and recognition internationally and we've to keep up its continuity.”

In this connection, Sheikh Hasina mentioned that those who grab power in evil and illegal way never know the practice of culture and language. “Their mindset is different,” she said.

The prime minister said her government wants to build Bangladesh with the spirit of independence. “We want that Bangladesh would be a non-communal and peaceful country in the world, where the people will practise their own language and religion freely ... we want to take ahead the country in this way,” she said.

At the same function, the premier also launched a two-day International Literature Conference 2018, and handed over prizes among the winners of ‘Bangla Academy Sahitya Puroshkar 2017’.

The winners are: Mohammad Sadik and Maruful Islam (poetry), Mamun Hossain (fiction), professor Mahbubul Haque (essay), professor Rafiqullah Khan (research), Aminur Rahman Bhuiyan (translation), Kamrul Hasan Bhuiyan and Surma Jahid (literature on Liberation War), Shakur Majid (travelogue), Maloy Bhoumik (drama), Moshtak Ahmed (science, technology and environment) and Jharna Dash Purokayshto (juvenile literature). Cultural affairs minister Asaduzzaman Noor addressed the function as the special guest, while Bangla Academy chairman and emeritus professor Anisuzzaman presided.

United Kingdom writer and poet Ignis Mirose, Cameroonian writer Joyce Ashuntantang, Egyptian poet Ibrahim Elmasi and Swedish writer Arli Johnson also addressed the function.

At the outset of the function, a minute's silence was observed as a mark of profound respect to the memory of the Language Movement martyrs.