Amid the innumerable accesses to myriad types of e-entertainment, reading for pleasure remains limited mostly to traditional paper publications. Printed or paper books have long been available online. Readers not at ease with the cumbersome e-publications find themselves glued to the age-old books. The e-books are generally viewed as being produced for tech-savvy readers. This scene, nowadays, is prevalent worldwide. Bangladesh is no exception; although when it comes to reading for pleasure, the country lags far behind many book-loving nations.
The spectre of electronic books prompts people preferring paper books in the country to find themselves in an uncomfortable situation. A few of them may have developed misgivings about the future. However, to their relief, the entry of people dealing with e-book publication in the country is still stuck in a preliminary stage. The local publishing sector still comprises paper books in the main. Their publishers have been bringing out books for over sixty years, since pre-independence times. In today's Bangladesh, around three hundred houses are publishing books professionally. Many are entering the trade as amateur or seasonal publishers, targeting the Ekushey Book Fair in Dhaka. However, it appears to be an irony that despite the continued rise in the publication of printed books and their readers, the number of book haunts keeps declining. The once popular hangouts of writers and readers have long disappeared. Those which still survive struggling against scores of adversities are on the verge of closure.
In this disappointing situation, the launch of creatively planned book outlets in the capital does make the book lovers feel upbeat. They take heart from the fact that the country's world of books still thrives on paper publications. The overtaking of these books by the virtual is unlikely to materialise anytime soon. Unfortunately, the publishers, authors and the readers have failed to bring the situation in their favour. In a situation like this, a few enterprising bookstores and publishers in Dhaka and Chittagong have taken initiatives to attract book buyers. Their styles are unique to each of them, but are almost similar. The mission is common: promoting both books and readership. People close to the publication sector in Bangladesh view the development as a bulwark against the fallout of the continuing disappearance of book-centric pastime.
The latest venture involving books and launched in Dhaka comes from Bengal Books, a new wing of Bengal Foundation. Inaugurated on November 14, the spacious 3-storey bookstore Bengal Books has provisions for reading, exchanging views in private, seminars and snacks with tea-coffee. The rich collection of books from different genres, in both Bangla and English, the wide space for browsing books coupled with sitting arrangements makes the outlet a distinctive one. Since its opening, the throngs of young and teenage readers at the bookstore have turned out to be a feature worth noting. Stemming apparently from the concept of bringing books to readers in an ideal and reading-friendly atmosphere, Bengal Books has also rare Bangladeshi and overseas publications on offer for readers. Thanks to the entrepreneurial promotion of the love for books, the book hub carries the potential for becoming a popular haunt of readers and writers. Dhaka has similar other readers' retreats including Pathak Samabesh. Chittagong takes its due pride in the Batighar book centre. The now-massive Bishwa Sahitya Kendra pioneered the idea of boys and girls growing up amid books.
Although the Ekushey Book Fair, an annual event, brings the reading people close to each other at a single venue, the book lovers find themselves an alienated lot during the rest of the year. Bookstores are fast being overrun by quick-buck enterprises. Markets once famous for their book corners have virtually become shorn of book outlets. The new-age readers' retreats may change the spectacle.
