Staff Correspondent
Published:25 Mar 2021, 11:34 AM
Crowd increasing at book fair
Crowd is gradually increasing at the book fair as it entered the sixth day. People of all ages were seen flocking to the fair on Wednesday. Writers and publishers are smiling as the crowd at the fair is increasing. On Wednesday people started lining up at the gate of the Suhrawardy Udyan adjacent to the TSC since morning. More new books are also coming to the fair. The presence of authors is also playing a role behind the increasing number of people.
194 new books were added to book stalls. A discussion program titled ‘Golden Jubilee of Independence: News Magazine in the Liberation War’ was held on the main stage of the book fair at 4:00 pm. Zafar Wazed presented the essay. Mohammad Selim and Qutub Azad participated in the discussion. Professor Syed Mohammad Shahed presided over the function.
The essayist said that in almost twenty-four years of Pakistan's colonial rule, with a few exceptions, the media had made significant contributions to the successful conclusion of the Bengali liberation struggle. In order to prevent the development of an independent newspaper in East Bengal, the Pakistani military regime sought to silence the newspapers. Journalists struggled hard to create public opinion and present the newspaper as a trusted vehicle of public opinion. Journalists, dedicated to the struggle for press freedom, had been repeatedly imprisoned and humiliated by dictatorial rulers.
The speakers said that just as newspapers played an important role in the movement for the rights of Bengalis during the Pakistani rule, newspapers and periodicals played a glorious role during the war of liberation. And so in the war of liberation, the newspapers and the freedom-loving journalists had to face strict surveillance under the Pakistani ruling class. At that time, the fearless journalists who supported the liberation movement of Bangladesh set an unparalleled example of abandonment.
In his speech, Prof. Syed Mohammad Shahed said that newspapers became an important medium to accelerate the movement and struggle of Bengalis in the fifties and sixties. Even during the war of liberation, newspapers tried to portray the picture of Bengali liberation struggle as a mass media. Outside Bangladesh, foreign newspapers and mass media have formed world opinion in favour of the liberation war. Habib Anisur Rahman, Sudipta Salam and Sakira Parveen Soma discussed their books in the programme 'Lekhak Bolchi'.
Today's event
Today, on the 7th day fair will be held from 3 pm to 9 pm. A discussion program titled 'Golden Jubilee of Independence: International Genocide of Bangladesh and Recognition of Genocide' will be held on the main stage of the book fair at 4:00 pm. Swadesh Roy will present the essay. Heroic freedom fighters Kazi Sajjad Ali Zahir (Bir Pratik), Ahmed Sharif and Chowdhury Shahid Quader will participate in the discussion. Professor Muntasir Mamun will preside over the function.
A 'Black Out' program will be held from 9:00 pm to 9:01 pm today to commemorate the day of the genocide on March 25.