Where love for books begins

Eight-year-old Jamiul couldn't  contain his excitement, bouncing on his toes as he waited to enter the Suhrawardy Udyan section of the book fair. His father, Shafayet, held his hand tight, with a proud smile mirroring his son's joy.

"Boi Mela is where our love for books began," Shafayet shared, his voice warm with nostalgia. "We didn't want Jamiul to miss the magic."

Everywhere, children like Jamiul, hands held tight by parents, skipped between stalls, their laughter echoing through the book fair. The air buzzed with a contagious energy, a celebration of stories and shared experiences.

While the little ones explored genres like rhymes, cartoons, and comics in the "Shishu Chattar" areas, the youths searched for  thrillers, adventures, histories, poetry, novels, and more.

Tonoya, a 25-year-old private university student, said, "Usually, I buy books online. But why would I miss such a chance to buy books in person, in the presence of their authors!"

The elderlies too didn't want to miss out on the fun.

Nazmul Mridha, a 71-year-old retired school teacher from Old Dhaka, was seen browsing the stalls.

"In my younger days, I came to the boi mela for thrillers and adventures; now, it's history. You see, I've aged, my tastes have changed, but my journey to the book fair continues. That's the magic of the fair," he added.

The number of visitors and booklovers has also been gradually increasing in this year's Amar Ekushey Boi Mela.

Anya Prakash publishing house was found packed with people of all ages.

Sirajul Kabir Chowdhury, managing editor of Anya Prakash, said, "The increasing number of visitors is quite promising, and we hope to see more in the coming days."

"We received almost double the response compared to last week, and so have book sales," he added.

Mehedi Hasan Rifat of Oityjjo Prokashon echoed him.

Monjurul Islam Bulbul, in charge of Sisimpur, a publishing house dedicated to children's literature, said, "This week, we saw more parents coming to our stalls."

However, he said the sales are yet to pick up.