Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina thinks that the readership will increase if literary works are brought to digital medium. She expressed this opinion in the opening speech of the Amar Ekushey Book Fair at Bangla Academy premises. He said, ‘Nowadays no one wants to open a book and read. It should be done so that they can read while on move.’
The Prime Minister also said, ‘The modern age is the digital age. We can also use digital devices in practicing language and literature. Digitizing books. Many people don’t want to read these days. So the audio version of the book can be done, even with a phone to listen to. If we make audio version of every literary work and bring it to digital system, we will get more readership.’
Sheikh Rehana, younger daughter of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and younger sister of Prime Minister, was present at the event. State Minister for Culture KM Khalid spoke as a special guest. Culture Secretary Md. Abul Mansoor also spoke. Bangla Academy President Selina Hossain presided over the opening ceremony and Director General Mohammad Nurul Huda delivered the welcome address. Arif Hossain Chhoton, President of Bangladesh Book Publishers and Sellers Association also spoke in the event.
The Prime Minister then unveiled the covers of seven books published by Bangla Academy. Which included Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ‘Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Rochonaboli-1’, ‘Prison Diary Text Analysis’, ‘Unfinished Autobiography Text Analysis’ and ‘Amar Dekha Nayachin Text Analysis’; ‘Amar Jeeban Niti, Amar Rajniti’ and ‘Zela Sahitya Mela 2022’ (Part I) written by President Abdul Hamid.
Besides, the Prime Minister distributed awards among 15 poets, writers and researchers who received the Bangla Academy Literary Award-2022. The awardees were Farooq Mahmood and Tariq Sujat (jointly in poetry), Tapas Majumdar and Parvez Hossain (jointly in fiction), Masuduzzaman (in essay/research), Alam Khorshed (translation), Milan Kanti Dey and Farid Ahmad Dulal (jointly in drama), Dhrubo Esh ( Juvenile Literature), Muhammad Shamsul Haque (Research on Liberation War), Subhash Singh Roy (Research on Bangabandhu), Mokaram Hossain (Science/Science Fiction/Environmental Science), Iqtiyar Chowdhury (Biography/Memoir/Travel) and Abdul Khalek and Muhammad Abdul Jalil ( collectively in folklore).