PM Hasina: Develop the habit of reading

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday urged the new generation to develop the habit of reading books.

“People can learn history and culture, know about themselves and others as well as enrich others (knowledge) informing about themselves through literatures,” she said while addressing the inauguration ceremony of the Amar Ekushey Book Fair-2021.

The prime minister opened the book fair, joining the inaugural ceremony at the Bangla Academy virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban in the afternoon.

The fair, which was postponed during its traditional month of February amid the coronavirus pandemic, began at the Bangla Academy premises and the adjacent venue at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital.

She asked all to be sincere so that book reading continues. “Let’s come forward to develop the habit of book reading and encourage our next generation about it (this practice),” she added.

The prime minister directed the Bangla Academy to strengthen its book translation activities to create scope for the people of the country to know about the history and culture of other nations in the world as well as raise the own culture before other nations.

“We can learn about everything – literatures and history of many nations — of the world by translating literature,” she said.

Also read: PM Hasina inaugurates Amar Ekushey Book Fair

Sheikh Hasina asked the Bangla Academy to continue the translation of Bangla books into other languages and foreign literature into Bengali language.

“Now it’s a global village. So, there’s a scope to know each other. There shouldn’t only be trade and business but also know cultural practices, literature, history and all other things. And books give us this scope,” she said.

This year’s fair has been dedicated to the memories of the martyrs of 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh. The main theme of the 2021 fair is “Birth Centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Golden Jubilee of Independence.”

The prime minister unveiled the cover of "New China 1952," the official English version of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman written book "Amar Dekha Noya Chin," published by Bangla Academy.

She distributed the Bangla Academy Literary Award 2020 among recipients at the inaugural ceremony.

On behalf of the prime minister, State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid handed over the awards to the recipients.

The awardees are actress Ferdousi Mazumder (autobiography), poet Muhammad Samad (poetry), Imtiaj Shamim (literary fiction), Begum Akhtar Kamal (essay/research), Suresh Ranjan Basak (translation), Rabiul Alam (drama), Anjir Liton (children’s literature), Sahida Begum (research on Liberation War), Aparesh Bandhopaddhaya (science fiction) and Muhammad Habibullah Pathan (folklore).

President of Bangla Academy Prof Shamsuzzaman Khan chaired the inaugural event, while Cultural Affairs Secretary M Badrul Arefin, Director General Habibullah Sirajee and President of Academic and Creative Publishers’ Association of Bangladesh Farid Ahmed spoke on the occasion.