The word Pillsuj in Bengali comes from Arabic+Persian mixed word Fatilah-Soj. Which means a holder like a lamp post. (Dictionary Raj Shekhar Bose’s Chalantika).
So hundreds of thousands, hundreds of millions of excellent books can be a book fair, that fair is like a pillar, a specific book fair to keep the lamp (light of knowledge by reading books) is an excellent name organized by civilized people, thinking people, free-minded people in today’s world. book fair Book fairs will create readers, in all countries. Whether books are sold in any way, subsidized or unsubsidized, or for display in the cupboard as a status symbol, but the cupboard is prone to looting, there is also the possibility of conscious robbery; That is, after the book is printed, the thirst of the reader will be satisfied, the one who has the ability to write will be recorded in the book and the reader will also want to be enriched in his own way by reading the book, not without reading it. The writer is the reader and the proper reader, because among the poets of the great writers there is no one without reading books, never was. Will test your own experience out of curiosity, no doubt.
A question in today’s world in all countries, how important is the urge to choose writing as a profession! But why is the book fair coming as a profession! If the writer’s profession is writing books, then surely such a publisher is needed. If many publishers of the state are busy in bringing out school-college textbooks and note books, why should they walk the literary path? Publishers who publish literary books and poetry books are not only publishers of book fairs, but publishers of the whole year, publishers of many years and eras. They make a contract with the author according to the copyright, give money in exchange, release the book in the market, if the edition increases, the authors continue to get royalties according to the copyright rules, etc. Famous publications in India follow this rule. All over the world publishers follow the copyright system and do business by printing the author’s book and tell the author how many copies of his book are printed and how much money he will get etc.
Those who live as golden birds in iron cages in this state are the writers. You will get salary month by month, abundant salary now. Would you like to write a protest book and get transferred to the deep forest? Occupation is that you have to love the profession deeply. That love is many, many types. If you want to survive in this state, you cannot survive only by writing as a profession or occupation.
I can personally say that the day-to-day struggle to survive in my family, all the insistence and kind of endurance to take up writing as a profession has made me reckless. For the past 55 years, I have consciously taken up this profession, which has led me far below the standard of living of my friends (professional, government), but I have never felt that this stubborn writing career has given me anything. I have got a family, I have got an old mother, I have got a wife and son, I have got love and care.
I am mentioning what I wanted to say. The famous Bharavi publications in the state are not Signet, Rupa or Tripura’s Favor & Favor which is the publishing house of Nobel laureate poets like TS Eliot or Penguin.
So what is the profession of writing? To be crushed? That is, I will write a book, the publisher will come to print the book, but the author has to pay money (in many cases) if the book comes out, not more than 10 copies, even if those 10 copies are for friends, I have to accept the loss of shoes. I firmly believe, real writers-poets have high self-esteem. Even though I am not a poet, I have seen many people in my life who are beautiful in body and mind, but do not have much education in school and college. But want to educate their own sons and daughters. If you visit the book fair, you will find many people who are interested in learning. Fidget with the book. Want to read, want to know, want to understand the stories of various life experiences.
41st Agartala Book Fair-2023, this time the number of stalls has increased to 190 applications, but as many as 15 stalls have not been arranged. Stalls are distributed through online lottery. The most important thing is that the arrangement that has been made using a suitable and environment of the book fair is a reflection of extraordinary thinking. The edge of the reservoir has been used for dining and hanging out. In the early part of the night, filled with garlands of lights, this fair in Hapaniya is as clever as ever. Environmental consciousness is working, and keeping this aspect in mind every year, the book fair premises are organized in the interest of book buyers in public interest.
This year, the government’s role in participating in the Book Fair from Bangladesh from different provinces of India is also commendable. In order to ensure that there is no disruption to the cultural events every day, the arrangement of the second stage which started last time at the book fair premises has been tightened. ICA has a great role to play in this engineering of dividing the crowd. The efforts of ICA staff in making this 41st book fair lively and vibrant by working day and night is commendable.
A little away from the congested area of Agartala, this arrangement of ‘garlanding around the voice’ has impressed all the buyers and sellers. Long live the book fair. Because this is the pillar of the civilization of such an irresistible mindset that paves the way for free thinking in the minds of all future readers, young people.