'Alone, one cannot go far': Mehdi to receive Ekushey Padak for Avro along with his three friends
All four are coming to Bangladesh from different parts of the world to receive the award, says cultural affairs adviser
Mehdi Hasan Khan and his three friends – Rifat Nabi, Tanbin Islam Siam and Shabab Mustafa – will receive Ekushey Padak as a group for developing open-source Bangla writing software Avro Keyboard, said Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki.
In a post on his verified Facebook profile today (9 February), Farooki announced that all four of them are coming to Bangladesh from different parts of the world to receive the award.
Farooki's post reads, "Today, we can openly say that we knew that Mehdi Hasan Khan was not interested in accepting the award. He was approached before too. Despite knowing that he may not receive the award, we agreed to announce the award from our cabinet. Through this, we wanted to send a message about whom we will celebrate.
"When we spoke to him yesterday, he was still reluctant. But finally, he agreed to accept the award. But he did not want to accept this achievement alone. He did not want to accept the award without his three friends – Rifat Nabi, Tanbin Islam Siam and Shabab Mustafa – who also played an important role in the creation of Avro."
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Earlier on 6 February, the Ministry of Cultural Affairs published the list of nominees for the award. Mehdi Hasan Khan was named an awardee in the science and technology category.
Ekushey Padak is the second highest civilian award introduced in memory of the martyrs of the Bengali Language Movement of 1952. The award recognises contributions in a number of fields, including culture, social service, education and economics.
'Alone, one cannot go far'
Meanwhile, in a humble post on Avro Keyboard's Facebook page, Mehdi Hasan Khan himself, for the first time, wrote about getting recognition from the government and receiving the award with his friends as a group.
"I would not be able to accept Ekushey Padak in Avro's name without those of us who worked together from the beginning to the very end – Rifat, Siam, Shabab. He [Farooki] accepted it and convinced the rest as well," Mehdi wrote.
"Their [government] point is – whether we accept the medal or not, it is the state's duty to let us know that the state is grateful for our work; so they did that. I also accepted it. If Avro's mission has to be left as an example for the next generation, let our teamwork also be an example. Alone, one cannot go far."
Mehdi continued, "It's all good in the end. They are also giving the medal to the Bangladesh women's football team. Let this culture of recognising teams continue. Many have been campaigning online for many years demanding the Ekushey Padak for Avro, your demands have been fulfilled.
"The medal is a symbol or an occasion, and on this occasion, everyone will come together again. 'Maybe the real treasure was the friends we made along the way' [cliché, I know. I am making it cliché, because I want to!]."
