Kali O Kalam awards young poets and writers
Kali O Kalam, a reputed literary magazine, recognised five young wordsmiths with the Young Poet and Writer Award 2016, held on January 29 at the main auditorium of Bangladesh National Museum. The winners are – Naushad Jamil in poetry (“Dheu-er Bhetor Dabanol”); Rafique Hariri in fiction (“Fulbanu O Ononnya Golpo”); Tushar Kabir in essay and research (“Kuthurir Swar”); Hasan Iqbal in Liberation War-based literature (“Bhatkobitai Muktijuddho”) and Shariful Hasan in the children's and young adult literature section (“Odbhuture Boighor”).
Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism, Rashed Khan Menon attended the event as chief guest, while eminent academician and former VC of Rabindra Bharati University Professor Chinmoy Guha, and distinguished litterateur Imdadul Haque Milon were present as special guests. Chief Director of Bangla Academy Shamsuzzaman Khan chaired the event. Representatives of the jury board for the Young Poet and Writer Award 2016 Biswajit Ghosh and Mahbub Sadiq delivered speeches on the occasion. Other members of the jury board included Chairman of the Bangla Department of Dhaka University and Dean of Arts Faculty Begum Akhtar Kamal and Professor Khaled Hossain from Jahangirnagar University.
In her welcome address, director general of Bengal Foundation Luva Nahid Choudhury stated, “Compared to previous years, 2016 has witnessed a rise in the number of young writers. Next Phalgun also marks the 14 year anniversary of Kalo O Kalam, for which we will publish a special edition of our magazine.”
Guests at the programme also praised the magazine's initiative and hailed it as a crucial cultural landmark. Professor Chinmoy Guha said, “This year's ceremony has surpassed all the events organised by Bengal Foundation. I thank you for taking such a wonderful initiative, for which Bengal is creating poets and writers.” Chief guest Rashed Khan Menon praised the young awardees, saying “There is nothing the youth can't do, and our country has been built by the hands of the youth. However the literary scene has been lacking in young writers and poets, and I hope this initiative will encourage them to take up their pens and let their imaginations flow.”
The programme concluded with a lyrical play performed by Ferdousi and Tropa Majumdar, composed by Subhashis Sinha.
Monthly literary magazine “Kali O Kalam” initiated the award in 2008.
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