Agartala, Jan 2 (IANS) The Agartala Book Fair began here on Thursday with colourful ceremonies, albeit minus the participation of any booksellers and publishers from Bangladesh — for the first time — in view of the unrest in the neighbouring country.
Officials said that in view of the unrest followed by the political changes in Bangladesh, no booksellers or publishers from the neighbouring country took part in the Agartala Book Fair, being held at the Hapania international ground on the outskirts of the city.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha inaugurated the 13-day-long 43rd Agartala Book Fair, which would continue till January 14.
In his address, Saha urged the people to give a valuable book to their loved one and all concerned instead of any flower or any other gifts during different occasions.
A senior official said that the Agartala Book Fair started in 1981 and since then almost every year either publishers or booksellers from Bangladesh participated in the annual semi-trade book festival.
Earlier, in some Agartala Book Fairs, publishers or booksellers from Kolkata and other cities sold Bangladeshi books, but this year, no Bangladeshi books would be available in the fair, the official said.
Leading publisher Debananda Dam said that in view of the current situation in Bangladesh after the abrupt fall of the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, no booksellers or publishers from that country seem to be ready to attend the book fair in Agartala.
“Keeping in mind the situation in Bangladesh, even no Indian publishers or booksellers are willing to display or sell Bangladesh-related books in the Agartala Book Fair,” Dam told IANS.
According to the official, like in previous years, booksellers and publishers from Kolkata, Guwahati, and Delhi participated in this year’s book fair apart from local publishing houses.
He said that more than 159 stalls, including 42 stalls by outside booksellers and publishers, were set up in this year’s fair.
The official said that recently protests were organised in some Book Fairs held in a few districts of West Bengal after the Bangladeshi books were displayed there.
No Bangladeshi booksellers or publishers would also participate in the upcoming 13-day long 48th International Kolkata Book Fair, which would commence from January 28.
In November, a Bangladeshi trader had to close his stall at the trade fair in southern Assam’s Silchar after some Hindu activists demanded it in protest against the atrocities on Hindus and other minorities in the neighbouring country.
–IANS
sc/pgh
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
