10-day Barak Book Fair Concludes in Silchar

Our Correspondent

Silchar: The 10-day Barak Boi Mela book fair which was held on Bipin Chandra Pal meeting ground, Circuit House road, Silchar, and started on November 9 ended on a high note on Sunday night. The fair did not wear a deserted look and it filled the heart with joy.

Book lovers were seen crowding at various book stalls for a last-minute buy. They were seen carrying bags filled with books. A formal programme was also conducted to mark the end of the 10-day long festival exclusively meant for book lovers. The programme was presided over by Taimur Raja Choudhury, president of the Cachar district committee of Barak Upatyaka Banga Sahitya O Sanskriti Sammelan.

Addressing the gathering as the as the chief guest, Prof. Dilip Chandra Nath, vice chancellor of Assam University, Silchar, laid stress on the essentiality of reading books and also highlighted the importance of books in the life of an individual. He also took a dig at the present day teaching system which is based only on provision of handouts and photocopies of notes to the students. This has resulted in the students never getting a chance to read books and going through their texts. He suggested that the habit of reading books should be inculcated by the teachers in the classroom itself.

Prof. Dilip Chandra Nath also expressed anguish at the fewer footfalls in the book fair and urged upon the organizers to devise ways and means so that more and more people could be attracted to this fair. A souvenir to mark the occasion was formally released by Prof. Dilip Chandra Nath. The souvenir entitled ‘BoiKotha’ contains articles by eminent literary personalities. During the release of the souvenir, the other office bearers of Barak Upatyaka Banga Sahitya O Sanskriti Sammelan including its central president Dr Saurindra Kumar Bhattacharjee were also present on the dais.

Taimur Raja Choudhury put forth the various barriers which they had to overcome in order to organize the fair. He praised the entire team who worked together to make the fair a grand success. He also assured that they would definitely devise ways and means so that the next book fair could attract more crowds. The formal function of the closing ceremony was followed by cultural programme in which different groups presented song and dance items. Sumitra Dutta graced the occasion as the guest of honour.

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