PM Tarique confers Ekushey, Bangla Academy awards
At the opening ceremony of the Amar Ekushey Book Fair at the Suhrawardy Udyan, he presented the Bangla Academy Sahitya Puroshkar 2026 to nine distinguished personalities for their outstanding contributions to Bangla literature.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Tuesday (26 February) presented the Bangla Academy Sahitya Puroshkar and the Ekushey Padak at two separate ceremonies in Dhaka, calling for education, research and cultural practice to remain free from political influence.
At the opening ceremony of the Amar Ekushey Book Fair at the Suhrawardy Udyan, he presented the Bangla Academy Sahitya Puroshkar 2026 to nine distinguished personalities for their outstanding contributions to Bangla literature.
Those who won the award this year include Mohan Roy for poetry, Nasima Anis for fiction, Syed Azizul Haque for essays and prose, Hasan Hafiz for children's literature, Ali Ahmad for translation, Mustafa Majid and Israil Khan for research, Farseem Mannan Mohammedy for science, and Moidul Hasan for works on the Liberation War.
Later, at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium, the prime minister presented the Ekushey Padak to 10 individuals for their contributions in various fields.
This year's recipients are Farida Akhtar Babita (film), Professor Md Abdus Sattar (fine arts), Marina Tabassum (architecture), Ayub Bachchu (music) (posthumous), Arthy Ahmed (dance), Islam Uddin Palakar (palagan), Shafik Rehman (journalism), Professor Dr Mahbubul Alam Majumdar (education), Tejosh Haldar Josh (sculpture), and Warfaze (music band).
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At the event, he called for keeping education, research, and cultural practices free from political influence, saying that politicising education, research, arts, and literature is never a sign of a civilised society.
The premier said the historical events of Bangladesh from the 1952 Language Movement to the present are remembered through this award, noting that the Ekushey Padak is not merely a medal.
"It [Ekushey Padak] introduces the general people to those distinguished individuals who have enriched themselves, the state, and society through education, literature, arts, research, and practice," he added.
