Do you go to Boi Mela for selfies or for books?

Even on a normal day, the gates of Ekushey Boi Mela's entrance are too narrow to accommodate the ever growing line fast enough. As the line of people reach the first book stalls, it begins to spread out. 

Along the way, sit portrait artists who draw paying customers by hand, as the client sits still for however long it takes – the way photos used to be taken before cameras.
As someone who grew up with a flip phone that had an atrocious camera, taking pictures is second nature. Mundane events, memories and shaky videos— my phone cameras have seen it all. 

However, what amazed me was how there was no wall of people with their cameras out to record the artists at work, blocking the line's way. 
 
The Ekushey Boi Mela used to be an occasion people used to wait for throughout the whole year. In preparation to visit the book fair, children would save their lunch money for days just to buy new books. 
 
Redwan Islam Orittro, a regular attendee of the month-long fair reminisced on the old days of Boi Mela, "I've always looked forward to Boi Mela, saving up all year in a piggy bank just to spend it all on books."

"My visits to Boi Mela would stretch over three days. The first day was all about gathering catalogues and book lists from different publishers. Then, the next two days were dedicated to searching for the books I had picked out from those lists," he added.

The scene has changed these days. It's impossible to ignore people picking up a book from a stall only to snap a photo before putting it back. You can often hear the murmurs, "I'd enjoy this more if I actually read," echoing through the aisles, a sentiment that's hard to overlook.
 
Ishrat Jahan, a teacher and an attendee at the Ekushey Boi Mela expressed her concern at how the new generation does not necessarily come to the book fair to explore books.

"The new generation has changed in the sense that people now look around at different stalls, and come to the mela as an occasion to roam around and have fun," she said. 
 
Reflecting on her younger days, she recalled arriving at the book fair with a list of specific titles in mind to search for.

It appears the fair is seemingly moving away from its roots of commemorating the Bangla language. The culture of the fair is subtly transforming into something almost ornamental, an event celebrated perhaps more in appearance than in the spirit of literature.

Orittro elaborates on this, "Most people who come to the fair don't actually buy anything. They might glance at the titles, planning to buy them online later, or they're just there because they don't want to miss out."

"Besides, for us living in Dhaka, there aren't many options for spending our free time," he added.

The truth lies in the book stalls
 
Looking closer, things aren't always what they seem. Even though the fair looks different now, you can still find kids in their school uniform, browsing the book fair in the little down time they have.
 
Some high school girls from Engineering University Girls' School and College said they want to come back to the book fair with their families after their first visit, showing that the fair is still a special place for many.

One of the students, Anyothoma, shared, "This year I want to buy comic books. I have four series targeted, I plan to get all four of them."
 
The whole group of students complained about how none of them had the time to read, but rejoiced at the fact that they love coming to the book fair regardless; it is an activity they have bonded over. 
 
In the book stalls, people take their time to flip through the pages, and to even sneak a snap of themselves with the books. The books that are returned to the stalls after brief photo sessions never seem to be picked back up — or are they?
 
When asked, publisher stalls such as Somoy Prokashon, Anindya Prokash, and Kathaprakash all stated that they saw a rise in sales this year compared to previous years. Maybe it is because of the decked-out stalls or the metrorail making the journey easier. 
 
Even though many readers stick to the classics such as Zafar Iqbal and Humayun Ahmed, people are branching out towards new authors. A representative from Somoy Prokashon explained, "Our bestsellers are Zafar Iqbal's books, but more people are buying books from new authors in the science fiction genre as well." 
 
Additionally, turning this yearly tradition into somewhat of a social media trend, is not all that bad. Having photos of thoughtfully designed books posted on Facebook and Instagram pages, ultimately pushing them into the mainstream, seems to be working in favour of the authors. 
 
Kaisar Kabir, one of the authors of the story compilation, 'Chhaya Poth,' explains, "publishers, readers, writers take a lot of photos at the mela. It definitely creates a wave of Boi Mela photography in February."
 
When asked whether he feels if it makes an impact, he replied, "absolutely yes, in terms of awareness."

The Ekushey Boi Mela serves an important purpose of not only commemorating the sacrifice behind our language, but also to inspire people to read. 

Ishrat, who had taught her son to love reading from a very young age, shared, "now, since he's abroad, he says he misses the Boi Mela even now."
 
Ehsanul Khaleque Bappee, a father of two daughters, took his children to the book fair for the very first time this year. His thoughts summed up the spirit of the book fair quite neatly, "it's about fostering a love for books, literature, heritage, history, and of course, having a blast together!" 
 
The entrance of new trends and social media in the book fair may have changed how the audience appears. However, letting the book fair enter the mainstream is in many ways beneficial for the publishers.