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Thousands of people in seemingly endless rows gathered on the Dhaka University campus to enter the Ekushey book fair on Friday.
   About a half of them went back home seeing the long queues in two directions, one tailing back to Shahbagh and the other to the National Press Club.
   Each of the visitors had to wait in queue for about an hour to enter the fair ground. All present at the place expressed their disappointment and dissatisfaction at the management.
   Friday was a weekly holiday, when people usually crowd such fairs, there was no special arrangement for crowd management.
   There were only two archways at the main entrance to the ground; another archway was set up in the middle entrance in the evening.
   ‘It’s ridiculous, nothing but silent terrorism by the state,’ muttered an annoyed visitor, Amitabh, standing by the long queue. ‘Beefed-up security has changed the characteristics of the book fair.’
   Sampad, who came from Dhanmondi, said the rickshaw puller who took him to Shahbagh suggested that he should visit the fair on another day. He quoted the rickshaw puller as saying, ‘People go to such fairs to buy books. But how will they buy books if they are not let in?’
   MM Rezaul Karim, a former diplomat, said, ‘The security is fine. Everyone wants security, but the situation could easily be controlled if the entry points were increased.’ At least six points are necessary to manage the crowd, he said.
   Alam, a mobile teastall owner inside the Institute of Food and Nutrition, said his sales were unexpectedly low as no one could stand for a moment in front of his shop.
   The publishers were happy about the sale, but it was bellow their expectations of what it should be at weekend.
   ‘People who want to enter the fair will be shocked to see such long queues,’ said Milon Nath of Anupam Prakashani. The sale would better, if the management was improved, he said.
   Sports writer Mostafa Mamun said the crowd was much thicker outside than inside.
   The fair gained momentum at the weekend and many popular writers roamed about. Repeated sprinkling of water could not contain the dust. Some places, especially near the writers’ corner, became muddy.
   Humayun Ahmed’s Lilabati remained the best seller of the day. Muhammad Zafar Iqbal was flanked by young fans at the fair, giving autographs. Most of the fans took his autographs on Ami Tapu and Nayeera, written by Zafar Iqbal.
   The minister for law and parliamentary affairs, Moudud Ahmed, went to the fair to release two titles of MM Rezaul Karim.
   A number of other titles were released on the day. The information centre reported the arrival of 68 titles.
   The number of volumes of poems was more than the novels on the day, according to the centre. Eleven collections of poems hit the fair and there were 10 novels.
   The fair committee in a letter asked the publishers to keep going by the fair guidelines within five days. It gave a warning that it would cancel the allotment, otherwise, on the sixth day. Errant publishers will also not be allowed to join the next book fair.
   The publishers who demanded strict implementation of the rules were unhappy about the five-day timeframe. ‘It is some sort of legitimising the violation for few more days,’ said Robin Ahsan, owner of Shraban.
   The primary selection of the music contest for children and juvenile was held in the morning. One hundred and seven children joined the selection test.
   The Bangla Academy held a discussion marking the birth centenary of Muhammad Akram Khan.
   The Press Institute of Bangladesh director general, Rezwan Siddiquie, read out the keynote paper.
   Gias Kamal Chowdhury, Al Mujahidi and Subrata Shankar Dhar joined the discussion, chaired by Mainul Hossain.
   Kanailal Shilpi Goshthi, Jasim Baul Sangha and Arshinagar Shilpi Goshthi presented folk songs after the discussion.

BRAC University on Friday launched its Master of Public Health Programme through the James P Grant School of Public Health on its campus.
   This international school of public health will focus on health issues of the south to improve maternal health and combat HIV/AIDs, malaria and other major diseases, said a BRAC release.
   BRAC founder and chairperson, Fazle Hasan Abed, launched the programme at a simple ceremony at BRAC Centre, welcoming the first batch of students.
   At least 25 students — 15 national and 10 international — in the first batch received full scholarship for one year.
   The international students have come from nine countries including Kenya, Uganda, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Philippines, Afghanistan and the United States.
   The International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases Research, Bangladesh, one of the world’s leading health research institutes, is also part of this new initiative, said the release.
   The school will have both national and international faculty affiliated with Columbia University, University of Amsterdam, Upsala University, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Harvard University, George Washington University, Umea University, the Karolinska Institute and Johns Hopkins University.
   Fazle said the school was established, ‘to provide higher education in public health by utilising the unique resources in Bangladesh.’
   Earlier, dean of the school, Mustaque Chowdhury, introduced the students to the audience representing the government, international organisations, donor agencies and public health bodies.
   The function was attended by Demissie Habte, the first international director of the school and the former director of diarrhoeal research institute, Richard Cash, an alumnus of the institute and professor of the Harvard University School of Public Health who perfected the Oral Rehydration Therapy in the late sixties in Dhaka.
   Besides, Alayne Adams of Columbia University, Anwar Islam of Carleton University, Shahaduzzaman of BRAC University, among others, were present.
   The million dollar Bill Gates Award for Global Health, which BRAC received in 2004, went to the development of the James P Grant School.
   The school has been named after James P Grant, a UNICEF representative, committed to working in Bangladesh for the poor. ‘He showed us all that the impossible can be done, that health for all need not be an empty slogan,’ said Fazle.

With another spell of hartal beginning Monday, a number of private and public educational institutions, especially English-medium schools, held classes Friday, to make up for the time lost.
   Some schools will also hold classes on February 13 — originally a holiday — on the occasion of Saraswati Puja.
   With a number of the schools open, the Dhanmondi area looked as busy as it does during weekdays on Friday morning.
   The authorities of the English-medium schools said they are holding classes even on holidays to make up for the losses.
   ‘Students must not suffer,’ said the principal of a school. He said classes even during the weekends have become essential to complete the syllabuses in time.
   The Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology also held classes on Friday.

Lack of patronisation and a commercial mentality of the publishers are the main obstacles for young writers getting published.
   ‘As they [publishers] only look for profits, they invest on prominent writers and ignore us,’ said Tazul Islam Raju, a young writer.
   But publishers denied the allegation.
   ‘We do not find quality books by young writers. So we cannot publish their work despite our willingness,’ said Osman Gani, owner of the leading Agami Prokashoni.
   He said, ‘If I find anyone who has written a good book, I would have no problems publishing it,’ he said.
   Robin Ahsan of Shraban Prakashani admits that profit is the key to any business.
   As noted publishing houses are not interested to publish young writers, they go to less-known and small publishers and often become victims of deception, said Ahamad Mostafa Kamal, a writer.
   Sultan Mahmud, a young novelist and also a student of Bangla Literature in Dhaka University, expects his first novel to come out from Chayan Prakashani Saturday. He had to pay Tk 5,000 for his book to be published.
   ‘They charged Tk 20,000 to publish the book about four months ago. Finally, I paid Tk 5,000,’ he said.
   Robaet Ahmed, a young poet, said he has been trying to publish his book from Bhorer Shishir publication for the last two years. ‘They promised several times but my book is yet to be published.’
   Bhorer Shishir’s owner Kajol Mahmud said, ‘We have a board that selects the manuscripts on the basis of their prospects. If someone’s book does not satisfy the board, we do not publish the work.
   Sultan Mahmud, who also went to the house, said, ‘It is a publisher’s way of earning money by deceiving young men.’
   He said many young writers complained that they respond to advertisements for manuscripts and give non-refundable deposit.
   Tazul Islam said, ‘I had a dream and now it has been shattered.’

Holding of any programme at the Central Shaheed Minar from February 13 to February 20 will remain suspended because of repair and beautification work on the occasion of Ekushey February and International Mother Language Day.
   The Publics Works Department has begun repair, renovation and painting work of the main altar of the Central Shaheed Minar and other structures on the premises.
   The state minister for cultural affairs, Begum Selima Rahman, earlier chaired a meeting which made the decision on the renovation and beautification.
   The University of Dhaka, in a release on Friday, urged all not to hold programmes of any kind on the premises of the Central Shaheed Minar.
   The authorities cancelled its approvals given earlier to various organisations for holding programmes on the premises between February 13 and February 21.

The speakers at a human chain programme on Friday discarded the probe committee report on Tengratila gas field explosion and believed the amount of loss might be over Tk 100 crore.
   According to the Thursday’s report of the committee, one billion cubic feet of gas, valued about Tk 10 crore, was burnt out at Tengratila in Sunamganj on January 8.
   Paribesh Banchao Andolon (Save Environment Movement), an organisation of the environmentalists formed the human chain in the capital, demanding fresh assessment of the actual loss.
   They also demanded action against the Canadian company, Niko and the public sector gas exploration company Bapex, which are responsible for the explosion.
   Journalist Syed Abul Maksud Ahmed said the accident affected the environment as well as the people of the areas adjacent to the spot adversely.
   ‘We will go for greater movement if the demands are not fulfilled,’ he added.
   Terming the report partial and baseless, the convenor of the Andolon, Abu Naser said the burnt gas could have met the country’s gas demand for one and a half years.

The Gano Forum president, Kamal Hossain, on Friday said there is no option but to stand united against to overthrow the BNP-Jamaat alliance government.
   The defeated forces in the independence war, Jamaat, has now became a partner of the government and they want to rule the country unconstitutionally, he said, addressing a meeting of the central councillors in the party office.
   Referring to united movements against the government, he said big partners in the opposition alliance must respect the views of small partners.
   The central representatives from the districts joined meeting. More than 40 political district representatives across the country joined the meeting.
   Central leaders Pankaj Bhattacharia, Ahmedur Rahman Azmi, Abdul Matin Chowdhury and Ranesh Moitro also joined the meeting.

The GrameenPhone Limited has recently given 10 computers to Biswa Sahitya Kendra for the organisation’s administrative and coordination work.
   The company managing director, Erik Aas, handed over the computers to the Kendra president, Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed, in the company’s head office. The GrameenPhone corporate affairs director, Khalid Hasan, human resources director Emad Ul Ameen, and other officials were present.
   Abu Sayeed thanked the company for the donation.

The fifth anniversary of death of former head of the Press Information Department
   Tofail Ahmed will be observed today.
   A prayer session will be held in the residence of the late Tofail at 403, Purba Goran, Dhaka.
   The family members of Tofail requested his friends, relatives and well-wishers to pray for the departed soul.

Eminent academician, researcher and litterateur Dr Ali Newaz died of old-age complications in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital Thursday night.
   He was 77.
   He is survived by his wife, one son and three daughters.
   Dr Newaz had authored over 20 books and research works. ‘Khanar Bachan’ is one of his famous research works.
   His body was kept at the ICDDR,B mortuary at Mohakhali.
   His janaza will be held on arrival of his son, Shah Akhter Newaz, from Bahrain on February 12.
   He will be buried in the Mirpur Intellectuals’ Graveyard.

Thousands of students of schools and colleges, along with their parents, gathered at the Abahani Krirachakra ground in Dhaka on Friday to celebrate the Muktir Utsav 2005, a festival of freedom, organised by the Liberation War Museum.
   The celebrations are a part of the outreach programme of by the museum.
   Retired air vice-marshal AK Khandakar, also deputy commander in chief of the war of independence, opened the festival.
   Khandaker also administered vow to the students. The students vowed to contribute to building a society with peace and solidarity, and work for the betterment of the country and its people.
   The state minister for the liberation war affairs, Rezaul Karim, said the museum had been trying to present the true history of the independence war to the students.
   The opening ceremony was followed by a cultural function. Students of the Jamuna Fertiliser Factory High School of Jamalpur performed zari gan and folk dances.

BIFT holds convocation
Convocation of the first batch graduates of the BGMEA Institute of Fashion and Technology was held in its auditorium in the capital on Friday. The National University vice-chancellor, Professor Aftab Ahmed, conferred the graduation degrees. The institute president, Benzir Ahmed, chaired the convocation, while the BGMEA president, Annisul Haque, was present as special guest. The institute principal, Dr Nazrul Islam, gave welcome address while the institute former presidents, Harun-ar-Rashid, and Sirajul Haque and the institute governing body member, Faisal Samad, addressed the occasion.
— BSS

Gaziul Hasan’s book launch today
The publication ceremony of Itihaser Anughatak O Anyanya, written by the managing director and chief editor of the Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Gaziul Hasan Khan, will be held in the National Press Club in Dhaka at 3:00pm today. The information minister, M Shamsul Islam, will be present as chief guest while the shipping minister, Akbar Hossain, and the State Minister for Housing and Public Works, Alamgir Kabir, will attend as special guests.
— BSS

Close-Up photo contest
A three-day ‘Close-up photo contest and exhibition’ began at the Theatre Institute, Chittagong on Friday. Organi-sed by the Unilever Bangladesh Limited, the exhibition was inaugurated by Dr Shahidul Alam as chief guest. The company general factory manager, Hasan Jafar Chowdhury, also spoke. ABM Moin Uddin, Dhiman Chakma Heerak and Junaed Rahman were awarded the first, second and third prizes respectively. The exhibition will remain open to all from between 10:00am and 8:00pm.
— New Age

BAI reunion Feb 18
The 45th batch Krishibid reunion of the Bangladesh Agricultural Institute, now Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, will be held at the National Park in Gazipur at 10:00am on Feb-ruary 18. Interested members are requested to contact Abdul Awal Bulbul on 0171319860, Shaikh Ahaduzzaman Shameem on 0172142094 and Mominul Azam Sabuz on 01717383362 for registration within February.
— New Age

Film festival at DU
A weeklong film festival titled ‘Fresh Gel Banglar Chobi-2005’ will begin today. The Dhaka University Film Society organised the festival with the financial assistance of the Square Pharmaceuticals Limited. The university vice-chancellor, SMA Faiz, will formally inaugurate the festival as chief guest at the Teachers-Students Centre auditorium at 10:00am. A total of 28 films from Bangladesh and India will be screened at the weeklong festival.
— UNB