The insightful little magazines

Young publishers display their little magazines at the Ekushey Book Fair. PHOTO: STAR

On the left of the Information Centre at the Ekushey Book Fair is a medium size banyan tree. At the foot of it sit young writers and poets displaying their "little" publications. Full of such experimental yet intelligent and brilliant lines of wisdom, these publications are popularly known as "little magazines" or "little mag". This Little Magazine corner is another attraction for visitors at the book fair especially the radical youth.

The titles of these magazines are a proof to their experimental nature: Shaluk, Methopath, Bhashkar, Lok, Chalchitro, Chorus, Dhulichitro, Nishargo, Nandipath, Charbak, Karshan, Gandeeb, Srotchinho, Amitrakkhor--there are names from every aspect of the Bangalee life as well as that of the whole world.

It is known that since 1953, after the Probhat Pheri, young poets and writers used to gather at the foot of this banyan tree with their latest publications. Readers came and often bought little magazines. Later, when Chittaranjan Saha's endeavour encouraged Bangla Academy to arrange the book fair in a more organised way, the institute gave a corner to the little magazine lovers. Since then, publishers from all over the country participate in the fair with their publications.

However, the sales of little magazines are always very limited. "We have a select reader group who generally visit the stalls and often buy little magazines," opine most of the little mag editors.

Selim Morshed of Gandeeb, however, differs a little: "A few general readers are seen visiting the little mag stalls this year," he says. Participating in the fair since 1988, Gandeeb has returned to the fair after a break of two years. Besides Gandeeb's latest issue, Paap Kingba Shambhabona by Tareque Shahriar, Aa Mori Khudratto by Ahmed Nakib, a short story collection of Selim Morshed and many other titles are on display at the stall.

Charbak has been coming to the fair since 2000. Its latest issue contains a special poetic essay on the theories of creation and the Aryan religion, written some 50 years ago by Gagan Chandra De. It also has an interview of Vinod Behari Chowdhury, one of the comrades of legendary Master Surya Sen.

Karshan, a little mag published from Pirojpur, has brought out a supplementary essay on the folk poet Mukunda Das. It also gives the lyrics of 19 of Mukunda Das' songs. The issue will prove an important research work on the bard. Mizan Rahman, editor of Karshan, has also brought out the latest edition of his catalogue of little magazines in Bangladesh, the only such publication in the country.

Participation from outside Dhaka has been noticed rather low this year. "Editors from other districts have sent their publications but have not been able to come due to the existing political unrest," comments Abu Taher Sharparaj of Lok.