KAMALPUR, March 10 (TIWN): At present, a tone of despair is found which claims that the sector of Bengali literature and book publication continued to lose importance. And it became so as the new generation have hardly any time to read books. Even some statistics used to be presented showing the decline in the market of the industry. And hence, an air of looping catastrophe tried to be shown all around.

But, the reality seemed something different.  And the reality, though it might be meager, but it could kinder a hope to the persons related to the industry. It might seemed something strange but the reality remained that, even after 139 years of its first publication, the child-education book “Balyasiksha” still got sold in the markets.

After the implementation of the Macaulay’s Education Minute in 1835, the scope for vernacular languages became narrower.  Later, the Wood’s Dispatch also tried to adopt a middle path.

In 1860 Braja Sundar Mitra, Bhaghaban Chandra Basu and Kashikanta Mukhopadhyaya introduced the ‘Bangla Jantra’ for Bengali publication in Dhaka.

Then in 1863 Harish Chandra Mitra set up the printing set up Sulav Jantra. From that printing unit Ram Sundar Basak brought out the premier child-education book “ Balyasiksha”. This had been referred in the essay “ Unish Shatake Bangla Boi-er Bazar (The market of Bengali books in the 19^th Century)” written by renowned researcher and scholar Ashis Khastageer. The short book constituted with a poem written by Madan Mohan Tarkalankar and other short stories and sermons. The book also had the use of Bengali joint-fonts and spelling. The book had an image of Queen Victoria at the very first page and declared the publication done under Act 20 of 1847.

Without any change the book still got found in the book-stalls around the state. Many children still start their education with this book.  Now, if the Bengali book industry suffered so-much, then how could the book be available and sold still now?