New York Bangla Book Fair ends successfully

The four-day New York Bangla Book Fair has ended. The Jamaica Performing Arts Center was packed with people on the last day of the fair on Monday (July 17). Children and adolescents dominated the whole day programme. 25 publishing houses from Bangladesh and ten institutions from the United States participated in this 32nd event.

This time there were more stalls than the previous fair. The sale was also about one hundred thousand dollars. This time Muktdhara-GFB literary award was given to poet Asad Chowdhury. Monday was reserved for children and teenagers. They organized and participated in dance-singing, poetry recitation, painting.

Participating teenager Daniel Sami said, it is very good to come here and get acquainted with Bengali culture. Made many new friends. A close relationship has been formed with everyone by participating in song and poetry recitals with them. I have met many people. Got a different world here.

Apart from USA, writers-readers from Kolkata, Canada, Australia, Germany and London attended the fair. This four-day fair became the meeting fair of the world Bengalis. The organizers are happy to organize such an event.

The convener of the 32nd New York Bangla Book Fair. Abdun Noor said, I was like a family for four days. Most of those who came to the fair came with their families. I feel bad that this reunion broke up. At the same time, it feels good that the fair has been completed beautifully and smoothly.

This time Muktdhara-GFB literary award was given to poet Asad Chowdhury. His wife Sahana Chowdhury and daughter Nusrat Jahan Chowdhury accepted the crest and three thousand dollars prize money on behalf of poet Asad Chowdhury on the third day of the fair - Sunday evening. The award was presented by Golam Farooq Bhuiyan, Chairman of GFB Group. Nalanda and Kathaprakash received the 'Chittaranjan Saha Best Publication' award from the publishing house participating in the book fair. It was given by the philanthropist doctor Ziauddin Ahmed.

25 publishing houses of Bangladesh and ten institutions of the United States took stalls in this year's book fair. Biswajit Saha, general secretary of Muktdhara Foundation, said that nearly one lakh dollars were sold in the four-day book fair. In the meantime, many visitors have requested us to extend the timings of the fair. The Muktdhara Foundation Committee is thinking about whether a week-long book fair can be held in the future.

The visitors sang their own songs in the fair grounds. There was a protest event. Human banding organized by 'New York Pravasi Gaibandhavasi' was held at the book fair premises to demand the preservation of the main slaughterhouse of the state-recognized district adjacent to the Gaibandha Stadium and the construction of a monument. Apart from selling books, there were cultural programs, plays, poetry recitals, seminars, film screenings on the Samaresh Majumdar stage of the fair.

Read More