Visitors busy taking pictures rather than buying books

Today (Wednesday) is the fourth day of the Amar Ekushey Book Fair, one of the biggest festivals of the country. Although the number of visitors to the fair has gradually increased, the number of buyers was very low. Most of the stall workers at the book fair have expressed disappointment over the lower sale of books.

Visiting Suhrawardy Udyan and Bangla Academy premises, this correspondent found the book fair very busy with the movement of writers, readers and visitors. The stalls were crowded with readers looking at books. Most of the visitors, however, were busy taking pictures rather than looking at or buying books. Many were hanging out with friends. Especially the young people were walking around the fair.

The publishers said the number of book buyers is very low compared to the number of visitors.

Expressing disappointment over book sales, a seller named Mahmudul Hasan at the Abasar Prakashni stall said, "There has been a major uprising recently, so people are not showing the interest they should have in the book fair. We expected the book fair to be a success this time; but it is quite the opposite. There are very few people. Those who come are taking pictures and leaving. There are almost no book sales."

He said, "I cannot say at this time what will happen in the coming days. If you think about the current situation, the situation is very bad."

A stall-worker at Adorn Publications said, "The number of book buyers has not yet increased. Visitors are coming, looking at books; but they are not buying. Maybe sales will increase towards the end.”

Asha, a stall worker at Sabujpata Publishing, said that sales are going well. She said, "We are selling well. Especially thrillers and classic books are selling well. I expect more to come."

Asked about taking pictures, no visitor agreed to talk.

Poet Shahed Kayes sees taking pictures, chatting, and wandering around the book fair as positive things. He told Views Bangladesh, "Not all the people who come to the book fair buy books. Many people come to chat, to wander around. A love for books develops as you see them. There is no question that everyone at the fair will come to buy books.”

Although the book fair officially started on the afternoon of Saturday (February 1), the holiday has not yet arrived. In other years, the most crowd has been observed in the children's square. As such, the children's square can still be said to be unprepared. However, the publishing houses have set up stalls with various types of children's books in the children's square. The Little Mag square is yet to be crowded.

Today, 47 new books arrived. Of these, 1 is of short story, 5 novels, 2 essays, 10 poems, 5 research papers, 3 rhymes, 1 children's literature, 3 biographies, 2 plays, 3 history books, 1 science fiction book and 2 other books.

The total number of new books in the first four days of the book fair has stood at 97.