Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said the current democratic government, elected by the people through direct vote, wants to enlighten the country with the light of knowledge. He made this statement while speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of the Amar Ekushey Book Fair-2026 on Thursday (February 26) afternoon.

The Prime Minister said that the democratic government elected by the people through direct vote wants to enlighten the country with the light of knowledge. She called for the book fair to become a cradle of education and cultural development.

Tarique Rahman said, “In the current competitive world, there is no alternative to building a knowledge- and merit-based nation.” He also said that efforts will continue to be made to get Bangla recognized as an official language of the United Nations.

He said, the book fair is not just a festival of buying and selling books; it is a symbol of the nation’s intellect and thinking. He expressed hope that this fair will make the nation more book-loving and will play a role in developing a regular reading habit. He also expects that the book fair will play a role as a incubator for building a knowledge-based nation.

The Prime Minister said that book fairs are held in many countries of the world, but the book fair in Bangladesh is different. It is a memorial to the struggle to achieve the right to the mother tongue and establish Bengali as the state language. She said that even though the size of the fair increases every year, there is room to think about the question of whether the publication of research-based books and people’s reading habits are increasing at the same rate or not.

Highlighting the importance of reading books, the Prime Minister cited a quote by German philosopher Marquis Cicero—“A house without books is like a body without a soul.” He said that studies have shown that regular reading creates new connections in brain cells, enhances memory and analytical skills, and can help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Regarding the impact of information technology, Tarique Rahman said, Internet addiction is turning the young generation away from books. Although books can also be read on the Internet, one must also be aware of the side effects of being immersed in a computer screen for a long time. Referring to research by various universities in the UK and Canada, he said, Internet addiction can reduce students’ interest in studying.

He said, “The Amar Ekushey Book Fair is not just a festival; it is his hope that it will become an inspiration to create a regular reading habit.” He also mentioned that Ekushey, which is celebrated in memory of the martyrs of the language movement, is now being celebrated around the world as International Mother Language Day.

The Prime Minister proposed that in the future, the ‘Amar Ekushey Book Fair’ could be considered as the ‘Amar Ekushey International Book Fair’. She believes that this will increase the opportunity to get acquainted with world literature and learn about different languages ​​and cultures.

Tarique Rahman said that the book fair could be organized throughout the year in divisions, districts and upazilas, instead of being limited to the academy premises and Suhrawardy Udyan in February. He said that the Ministry of Cultural Affairs would provide support in this regard, along with the proactive role of publishers.