Once a famous and respected Prime Minister, as well as the supreme leader of a major political party deeply tied to the country's liberation struggle, in a short span of time, become a condemned and despised figure due to greed for immense wealth and absolute power.
At the Amar Ekushey Book Fair, a national event to enhance the importance of our language movement back in 1952, known as the "Fair of Life" in Bangladesh, images of Sheikh Hasina, daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman has been placed on trash bins.
In the Bangla Academy premises, near the historic Bordhoman House, three such bins have been spotted. Visitors, particularly the youth, have been spontaneously discarding waste in these bins, which bear the face of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Visitors of all ages, especially the youth, have expressed satisfaction with this symbolic placement.
Mostahin, a young visitor from Sandwip was asked about the bins. He responded, "She was a fascist and this bin is the right place for her."
Another young reader, Mohammad Sumon, who came to the book fair from Mirpur, said, "I would love to have a dustbin like this in front of my house. As conscious citizens, every person in the country should recognize the enemies of the people."
After disposing of their trash in the bin, two young women were asked for their thoughts on Hasina�s image being placed on it. They simply smiled and walked away without making any comments.
Even on social media, images of these bins have gone viral, sparking various reactions from netizens.
For instance, a young woman wrote on her Facebook, "I never felt the urge to visit the book fair before, but this time, I really want to go, just to throw trash into the bin."
Another user shared the viral image of bin on Facebook with the caption, "While visiting the book fair, please dispose of waste in designated areas instead of littering. If it were a bit more creative, it would be even better, like if the Delhi fugitive murderer had its mouth open like a penguin and the trash went straight into it."
This year's Ekushey Book Fair is markedly different from those of the past decade and a half. Many publishers who were previously sidelined have now been given the opportunity to participate, while those that once enjoyed undue privileges due to their close ties with the former authoritarian regime have been excluded.
According to the Bangla Academy, a total of 703 publishers are participating in this year's fair, including nearly 150 newcomers. Meanwhile, several publishing houses that had long benefited from political favoritism have been left out due to their past affiliations with the fascist government.
In previous years, numerous religious publications were banned particularly Islamic under the pretext of preventing terrorism and misinformation. However, 45 of these have now been allowed to participate. On the other hand, ISKCON, a regular presence at the fair in past years, has been excluded this time due to its controversial activities.
