Staff Correspondent:
The essence of the Bengali month Falgun continues to add colour to the venue of the Amar Ekushey Book Fair and has doubled the festive mood and joy among visitors. People were gathering at the book fair amid a festive ambience wearing colourful sarees, flower headbands and panjabis on the Bangla Academy premises as well as the Suhrawardy Udyan on the weekend on Friday. Besides, on Pohela Falgun, the venue was transformed into colourful and enchanting spaces, adorned with banners, festoons and flowers.The atmosphere at the venue has been complemented by a colourful gathering of individuals who were unable to celebrate Pohela Falgun.The book fair is an essential cultural event for the people of Bangladesh as it not only exhibits the country’s literary heritage but also emphasizes the significance of reading books. The fair is a celebration of Bangladeshi literature and culture that brings together bibliophiles from all over the country. Additionally, the book fair provides the opportunity for readers and authors to interact and connect with one another. Similarly, the festivities of Pohela Falgun are intimately tied with the Bengali language and literature. Falgun conveys delightfulness and colour to both nature and everyday life. Nature creates an atmosphere of freshness and youthfulness that gives an impression as if the country is born anew. Those who missed out on the opportunity of celebrating Pohela Falgun had their fair share of Falgun delightfulness on Friday. Akib and Orthy from Mohakhali, who attended the book fair on Friday, told Dhaka Tribune they were unhappy as they could not celebrate Valentine’s Day because of emergency work. However, they were overjoyed to be able to make up for it Friday.”It is the weekend today. As a result, we were able to travel all the way from Mohakhali to celebrate our belated Valentine’s Day and also purchase some of our favourite books,” Orthy explained. Aaditri, a student who came to visit the book fair in a mesmerizing ‘basanti’-themed outfit, stated that Pohela Falgun is usually very crowded and she prefers to avoid the crowd. That is why she came on Friday to celebrate Falgun in a calm atmosphere and to easily purchase her favourite books.Florists are also extremely happy with the high demand for flowers and flower bands. Naim, a florist who earns his living by selling flowers, said: “I’m overjoyed that people still care about flowers. Till now, the demand for flowers is high even after Valentine’s Day, which is helping me to recover from my losses.”“I wish Valentine’s Day would last for the entire year,” Naim stated with a delightful smile.Pohela Falgun and the Amar Ekushey Book Fair in Bangladesh share a common goal which is to promote and celebrate the significance of cultural heritage and literature. The combination of Pohela Falgun’s eye-catching ambience and the fair’s literary focus creates a one-of-a-kind and captivating atmosphere that charms visitors every year.

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