BANGLADESH

President, PM wish success of Ekushey Book Fair

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in separate messages wished success of the ‘Amar Ekushey Book Fair-2022’ scheduled to begin on Bangla Academy premises today.

The President and the Prime Minister paid their rich tributes to the martyrs of the historic Language Movement on the occasion of Amar Ekushey Book Fair.

In his message, Abdul Hamid said the Amar Ekushey Book Fair has already turned into a major programme and festival of the Bengalis as it helps to flourish our education, culture and history.

“I pay my deep respects to the memory of the immortal martyrs in the great language movement on the eve of the Amar Ekushey Book Fair,” said the President.

“Amar Ekushey Book Fair is an integral part of Bengali culture. Every year during the month of February, the book fair organized by Bangla Academy creates a unique awakening among the writers, readers, cultural activists and people from different walks of life,” he said.

“We achieved the much desired independence in 1971, under the leadership of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, for the liberation and overall development of all people irrespective of class, profession, religion and caste,” said the President.

In 2021, the Bengali nation celebrated the birth centenary of Bangabandhu and the golden jubilee of independence, he said.

He thinks that this year’s theme of Ekushey Book Fair, ‘Birth Centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Golden Jubilee of Independence’ is very much appropriate.

He wished the overall success of ‘Amar Ekushey Book Fair and Programmes-2022’.

In her message, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina greeted all, including Bangla Academy and local and foreign publishers, involved in arranging the ‘Amar Ekushey Book Fair’.

“On this day, I pay due respect to the memories of the all Language Movement martyrs, including Salam, Barkat, Rafique, Jabber and Shafique. I also pay profound tributes to the leader of the Language Movement Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and all language veterans,” she said.

Referring to the Awami League government’s contributions in declaring the February 21 as International Mother Language Day on November 17, 1999, the premier said, “I have already raised a demand in the United Nations (UN) General Assembly for declaring Bangla as an official language of the UN”.

“We have established the ‘International Mother Language Institute’ in the capital Dhaka aiming at protecting, flourishing and practicing all mother languages of the world,” she continued.

Noting that on the occasion of the birth centenary of Bangabandhu, Bangla Academy is publishing 100 books on the life and works of Bangabandhu in phases, Sheikh Hasina said the academy already has 40 books.

I firmly believe the young generations will be able to know Bangabandhu properly and thus they would be able to build themselves,” she added.

Pointing that book fair awakens the human being’s existence, sense of living and spirit, the Prime Minister urged the writers and publishers to uphold the real history of the Language Movement and Liberation War through
their writings.

Calling upon all to develop the habit of reading books, Sheikh Hasina said, “It should be our pledge that we would work together for building a hunger-poverty-free and happy-prosperous ‘Sonar Bangla’ as dreamt by father of the nation”.

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