The month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair has been an income source, besides being a means of gathering experience, for many young people.
There are a few stalls among a total of 274 participating publishing houses where young people, mainly students of bachelor and masters courses at different universities in the capital, are not employed as stall attendants this year.
Talking to New Age, these people observed that working as stall attendants was a great means of gathering experience and a way of being self-reliant while continuing with study.
‘This type of part-time job, especially in such an event like book fair, opens up my scope for developing communication skills through dealing with customers,’ said Omar Faroq, a student of government Shaheed Suhrawardhy College.
He said it was an opportunity for those middle-class students who have to depend on some sorts of part-time jobs. ‘But working in the book fair is a great experience,’ he said.
Shuvra Prokash stall attendant Toma from Asian University told New Age that besides being an opportunity to be self-reliant, the book fair opens the door of learning many other things.
‘Also my time passes well being busy with dealing with the customers,’ she said.
Titumir College student Jubayer Raihan said, ‘This part-time jobs offer an opportunity to be in the realm of knowledge and training, that is potentially conducive to my career as event management and skills development.’
Adorn publication proprietor Syed Zakir Hossain told New Age that the fair offers an opportunity to the students of different universities to enhance their capacity as month-long training facilities with payments.
The payment of the stall attendants varies from Tk 5,000 to Tk 7,000 for the whole month. They have to be present in the stalls during the fair.
However, some of them, considering the full-time engagement, termed the payment poor and demanded that the amount should be increase.
‘It is tough for me to attend classes and do personal study during the fair hours. So the stall owners should increase our payment considering the hard labour,’ said Dhaka University student Shah Mohammad Atikullah.
A total of 124 titles hit the fair on its 11th day. Poetry with 30 books led the tally, followed by 25 novels, 22 story books, and 10 collections of essays.
Also seven new titles were unveiled at Nazrul Mancha.
The academy held a seminar on ‘Sangbadikatar Batighar: Tofazzal Hossain Manik Mia’, chaired by Harun-or-Rashid.
Abed Khan read out the keynote paper in the programme also addressed by Muhammad Jahangir and Mohammad Selim.
Today, a discussion on ‘Ali Ahmed: Pandulipi Sangrahok, Gobeshak O Sompadok’, to be chaired by Mohammad Abdul Kaiyum, will be held.
Dulal Kanti Bhowmick will read out the keynote paper in the seminar, expected to be addressed by Moniruzzaman, Ahmad Kabir, Sahajahan Mia and Santi Ranjan Bhowmick.
A cultural function will be held later on.
-With New Age input
