The month-long Ekushey book fair ended in Dhaka on Saturday. Large crowds gathered at the exhibition ground in Dhaka to visit the fair and buy books on the concluding day of the largest and longest book fair of Bangladesh. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had inaugurated the book fair on February 2.

State minister for cultural affairs KM Khalid was the chief guest at the closing ceremony.

The organising committee of the book fair said that this year a total of 4919 new titles were released. The total sale during the fair this year has been estimated to be Tk. 82 crore.

The book fair gives away several awards to publishers for excellence in publication and other related achievements.

Kotha Prakash publications received the Chittaranjan Saha Memorial Award for publishing the highest number of quality books. The Munier Chowdhury Smriti Puraskar 2019 for creative and quality publications was awarded to Prothoma Prokashan, Journeyman Books and Bengal Publications.

Syed Waliullah Literature Award-2018 was given to writer Salma Bani and Sagufta Sharmin Tania during the programme.

On the birth centenary year of country’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, also known as Bangabandhu,  this year’s fair was dedicated to him. Bangla Academy published 26 new titles on the life and ideas of the former president.