Dhaka: The Amar Ekushey Granthamela-2017 on Saturday turned into an animated gathering through interactions among readers, authors and publishers. 

On 25th day of the month-long book fair, visitors of all ages flocked to different stalls and pavilions to buy books of their favorite authors. Many of them were seen returning homes with bags of books.

The stall attendants were seen busy dealing with the visitors and big smiles flashed on the face of the publishers.

Samia Rahman, head of current affairs at News 24, has written three books, which were formally launched at a function on February 15. 

Maula Brothers, a publishing house, published a book of Samia Rahman titled "Adha Khichre Golpo, which is now available at Ekushey Book Fair.

Samia, also associate professor of Department of Mass Communication of Dhaka University said, "Adha Khichre Golpo is compiled of my write ups news presentations and talk shows on various issues, which were published and aired in different newspapers and electronic media."

She said, "My two books -- What's Happening to Our TV and Cracking the Secrets of TV Presentation -- have depicted challenges faced by our TV industry. I am trying to show possible ways and doings to overcome Challenges for television media through my two books." 

With the first two hours from 11am to 1pm dedicated to kids as children's hour, children's presence was remarkable in the morning, while the number of visitors of all ages increased as the children's hours ended.

Different varieties of children books of Ignite Publications Limited are now available at the stall number-553 of the book fair. 

Content coordinator of Ignite Publications Limited Nighat Haq said, "We are getting good response from visitors at the Book Fair. Ignite Publication Limited has developed high standard content to publish good quality book for children at affordable prices." 

Ignite Publications are publishing both fiction and non-fiction books alongside fun-filled activity books, pictorial books on a variety of topics, and textbooks and workbooks in English, Mathematics, Bangladesh Studies, Bangla, and a range of other subjects for children, she added.

With the first two hours from 11am dedicated to kids as children's hour on every Friday and Saturday during the book fair, children with their parents and elderly people of their families came and had a fun while browsing books, fair sources said. 

They said the organizers of the fair arranged different programmes including essay writings, painting, discussion and cultural function for children on the occasion of children's hour. 

Children mainly thronged different stalls and many of them were seen buying books on fairy tales, ghosts, puzzles, alphabets, cartoons and comic books.

Apart from Bangla Academy premises, around 400,000 square feet area on Suhrawardy Udyan have been earmarked for the fair, Bangla Academy Director General Shamsuzzaman Khan told BSS.

The Suhrawardy Udyan has been decorated with 12 divisions. Some 663 units have been allotted to 409 institutions at the academy and on Suhrawardy Udyan premises. 

Besides, 14 publication houses including Bangla Academy got 15 pavilions covering an area of total 6,000 square feet. Some 100 little magazines have been allocated spaces at the Little Magazine Corner, south side of Burdwan House on the academy premises.