Weekends for Families at the Boi Mela

Photos: Prabir Das

One of the biggest and the oldest festivals is happening in Dhaka at the moment – the Ekushey Granthamela, and like every other February, book lovers have crowded the stalls looking for the latest publications. However, the fair is not only for the students to rummage through Zafar Iqbal science fictions after classes, for professionals to enjoy cups of tea after work and of course the artists looking for a place to discuss their latest innovations. For the last many years, the authorities have been dedicating weekend mornings for families and children. 

The Boi Mela, on regular weekdays starts at 3 pm, winding up at around 8 pm at night. The weekend mornings however, are dedicated to families with children. From 11 am to 3 pm, families from all over the city come to buy books, take pictures, eat out or simply spend a day out with their children. From 3 pm, the regular crowd kicks in.

"It's strange! I have been visiting the Ekushey Boi Mela for years now and had no idea about the weekend family timing," says Tasmiah Alam Shikha, homemaker from Dhanmondi. "I went to the book fair last weekend with my 6-year-old daughter Neeha. I am very happy to say that we actually spent some quality time together. Neeha bought some colouring books, poetry books and children's fictions – she basically likes the pictures! The best part of the whole outing was that she enjoyed running from one stall to another sorting through books and turning pages."

Over the years, the crowds of book lovers have been growing and so has the space – the Boi Mela now covers the Bangla Academy area along with the Suhawardy Uddayan. However, many children, the elderly and families opt out of visiting the Boi Mela owing to the crowds, dust and of course the traffic. "I think it is simply not worth the visit all the way from Uttara, especially if you have work the next day and also the children have homework and school," says Tahsin Chowdhry, a lecturer at a private university in Uttara. 

Shahid Islam Tushar is planning to take his family to the Boi Mela this weekend. "The children are very excited to visit the Boi Mela and have been waiting for the weekend this whole week. In fact I take them every year during weekends. This time, they had exams at school and were not allowed to visit the fair till last week." A home filled with children, Tushar describes a typical family day with his two children, two nephews and 1 niece. "The whole building becomes a playground and everyone is moving from one room to another.

Since I have been given the responsibility to take the children to the book fair, I have been cutting deals with them the whole week so that they can behave and not run around like mad beings set free all of a sudden!"

"I bought comic books and a book by Zafar Iqbal. I am making a library for myself!" says 12-year-old Itrat Hossain, a student of Udayan School. "I want to have ice cream and then I will buy books," insists Itrat's sister, 4-year-old Shompa who managed to catch the ice cream logos at the food stall near by.

In a city where there are little or no access to entertainment for children, let alone activities to develop minds and personalities, the Boi Mela is actually a great platform for the young minds to mingle with others, think and choose between books and of course for parents and guardians to spend quality time with the young ones.