Not only paper-based publishers, you also should be digital publisher: PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina requested the publishers not to become publishers of paper-based publications but also digital publishers. She emphasized on digital publication to keep pace with the times.
The prime minister opined so, while speaking before the inauguration of the Amar Ekushey Grantahmela-2024 (Book Fair-2024) at the Bangla Academy premises on Thursday, February 1. Afterwards, she declared the opening of the book fair.
In her speech, she said that, everyone should have the habit of reading books. It is better if parents make them habituated in reading books from childhood. Many people take medicine for sleep, there is no need of that. Reading a book makes people sleepy. But, if you read more interesting books, you can’t sleep then. For that, you have to select the suitable books for that.
Sheikh Hasina said, 'My pride, my hope, my Bengali language'. How sweet is our language! I will say one thing that this is the age of science and technology. BOOK PUBLISHING will stay, it won't go away. Because there is a different joy in reading a book. Today's boys and girls read books on tablets or laptops. We don't get much pleasure that way though. But even then, if we want to move forward with our language, literature, culture, we should keep pace with the era. I would request our publishers for not only being paper-based publishers, but also digital publishers. If it is digital, it will reach everyone, not only in our country but also abroad. People of other languages will also will get access to read it. So, if we take a look at that, we will be able to get hold of modern technology by changing our mentality.'
The Prime Minister also said that, there will be an audio version in the libraries as well. If that is done, many people will be benefitted; they will know if they listen, we should take that measure as well. This is the most important thing; we will move forward to keep pace with the times.
Bangla Academy Literary Award-2023 has been conferred in 11 categories this year.
The awardees are: Shamim Azad (poetry); novelists Nooruddin Jahangir and Salma Bani (jointly in fiction); Zulfikar Matin (essay/research); Saleha Chowdhury (translation); playwrights Mrittika Chakma and Masud Pathik (jointly in drama); Tapankar Chakraborty (children's literature); Afroza Parveen and Asaduzzaman Asad (Research on Liberation War); Saifullah Mahmud Dulal and Md. Mujibur Rahman (research on Bangabandhu); ornithologist Inam Al Haque (environment/science field); Ishaq Khan (biography) and Tapan Bagchi and Suman Kumar Das (jointly folktales).
