"Before coming to the book fair in the 80s and 90s, I used to make a list of what books I wanted to buy. I used to talk to friends, and teachers about the writers and who wrote well. We used to come to the book fair with friends. Now such scenes cannot be seen anymore.”

These were the words of veteran banker Abdus Samad. He was talking to reporters after buying a book titled “Kokhono Amar Maa Ke”, written by fiction writer Anisul Haque on Monday afternoon. 

Expressing frustration over the reluctance of the young generation to read books, the veteran banker said book fairs used to feel like Eid to them, but now the young generation is not as enthusiastic about them anymore. 

A couple - Fahmida Khatun, 56, and Ashraf Ali, 64 - who came to the book fair, also expressed their disappointment at the young generation. 

They said a group of young people came to the fair only to take pictures and selfies with celebrities. When a celebrity comes, a rush could be seen at the stalls but no one buys a single book.

Ashraf said the young writers, except for a few, were not as remarkable as the writers of their age. “Their books are about love stories. Moreover, now all of them (young people) are busy taking selfies with celebrities. They buy books to take selfies with them.”

The couple also said when they used to think of buying gifts for anyone, books were always the top choice. 

Nesar Uddin, 45, came to Amar Ekushey Book Fair with his eighth-grader daughter. He took her to several stalls and showed her books by Humayun Ahmed, Muhammed Zafar Iqbal and other popular authors. 

"I do not see that craze for new books in the eyes of young people. Once upon a time, we used to stand in the stall and read one-third of the books. Now those who come here only buy books if the author is present at the stall.”

Another visitor, Enam Bhuiyan, 56, expressed dissatisfaction with the organization of the book fair by Bangla Academy, noting a longstanding issue with their management. 

He added that the stalls are so small that they cannot stand and see the books before buying. 

Additionally, Bhuiyan raised concerns about the unclean environment at the book fair.

Seeing the fair, it may seem that Bangla Academy has set up a commercial fair instead of a book fair, he said.