The Daily Star honours 19 living legends

The 12-day gala Odommo Chattagram concluded yesterday with 19 living legends and two industrial enterprises being awarded for their contributions to uplifting the stature of Chittagong at home and abroad.
Nobel Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus presented the Odommo Chattagram awards at the closing ceremony of the festival held at the auditorium of Institute of Engineers Bangladesh (IEB), Chittagong chapter yesterday evening.
The Daily Star at the ceremony also recognised 56 persons posthumously for their footprints in the overall development of Chittagong from the colonial period to present-day independent Bangladesh. The paper dedicated the Odommo Chattagram festival to them.
The 56 were recognised for their indelible contributions in such fields as research, literature, folk culture, politics, social service, women activism, entrepreneurship, language movement, education, sports, music and dance and fine arts.
The 19 living personalities awarded the Odommo Chattagram award were anti-British revolutionary Binod Bihari Chowdhury, educationist Ferdaus Khan, National Professor Nurul Islam, economist Nurul Islam, wife of Liberation War martyr and actress Moni Imam, publisher Syed Mohammad Shafi, writer and organiser of Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra Belal Mohammad, historian and researcher Suniti Bhushan Kanungoe, physician Robiul Hossain, wife of Liberation War martyr and writer Mushtari Shafi, writer Fahmida Amin, scientist Jamal Nazrul Islam, educationist Anupam Sen, artist Sabih Ul Alam, rhymester Sukumar Barua, science writer Muhammad Ibrahim, Captain Azizul Islam, educationist Protiva Mutsuddi and sports organiser Shahed Asgar Chowdhury.
MM Ispahani Ltd and AK Khan and Co Ltd were also given the same award for entrepreneurship and social welfare.
Activities of the 56 personalities, who were recognised posthumously, were displayed in brief in a slideshow.
The personalities are scholars Abdul Karim Shahityabisharad, Benimadhab Barua, Enamul Hoque, and Ahmed Sharif, poet Nabin Chandra Sen, litterateurs Mahbubul Alam, Abul Fazal and Shuchorit Chowdhury, collector Ashutosh Chowdhury, Kabial Ramesh Sheel, Kabial Phani Barua, politicians Kazem Ali Master, Maniruzzaman Islamabadi, Jatindra Mohan Sengupta, MA Aziz, Zahur Ahmad Chowdhury, Ashabuddin Ahmed and Sheikh Rafiudin Ahmed Siddiqui, leading Marxist politician Chowdhury Harunur Rashid, social workers Abdul Huq Dovash, Natun Chandra Sinha, Badshah Meah Chowdhury, physician MA Hashem and Mohammad Omar, woman activist Umratul Fazal, entrepreneurs KK Sen, MA Ispahani, AK Khan, Abdul Bari Chowdhury, Mohammad Yusuf Chowdhury, revolutionaries MasterDa Surya Sen, Pritilata Waddedar, adventurer and scholar Sarat Chandra Das, spiritual personality Gauzul Azam Maijbhandari, language movement veterans Abul Kashem and Mahbubul Alam Chowdhury, journalist Mahim Chandra Das, Abdul Khaleque Engineer, Nurul Islam, Mohammad Khaled, historian Abdul Karim and Abdul Hoque Chowdhury, educationist Nur Ahmed Chairman, Jogesh Chandra Sinha and Pranati Sen, sportmen Kalu Singh, Fazal Karim and Kamal A Khan, musicians Surendra Lal Das, Jagadananda Barua and Nirad Barua, dancer Bulbul Chowdhury, artist Somnath Hore, and singers Mohammad Nasir, Hari Pal and Shefali Ghosh.
With a view to showcasing the port city's rich history, traditions, culture and lifestyle, science and business opportunities and possibilities before Bangladesh and the world, The Daily Star initiated the festival on March 30 at MA Aziz Stadium amid a huge participation of the Chittagong dwellers.
Projecting Chittagong through multiple events at different venues in the port city, the 12-day Odommo Chattagram festival enthralled the people of Chittagong and attempted to make them proud of their heritage and imbued them with a new belief, hope and dream.
The festival was also aimed at creating the hope that if multi-dimensional development of the port city is ensured, it would lead the country to a change the nation has been waiting for long.
For years Chittagong has remained uncared for due to Dhaka-centric policies.
The Daily Star Editor and Publisher Mahfuz Anam expressed gratitude to two individuals and two organisations--former curator of Chittagong University Museum Shamsul Hossain, Chittagong Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CWCCI) President Monowara Hakim Ali, Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA)--for their outstanding cooperation in arranging the festival. He said the four would be awarded later on.
The Daily Star in association with the people and businesses of Chittagong arranged “Chitromoy Chattala”, a photography exhibition; “Chhabir Hat”, a painting exhibition; “Natya Utsav”, a theatre festival; “Chirayato Chattagram”, a history showcase; “Chattagram O Biggyan Charcha”, a science fair; a film festival; a food festival; a sampan race; a children's festival; a youth festival; and a two-day economic conference over the 12 days.
The four-day “Brands Expo” at the gymnasium of MA Aziz Stadium ended yesterday.
A prelude to the festival, a History Conference was held on March 16 and 17 at the Theatre Institute Chittagong. Academicians and researchers from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and Calcutta University as well as from Bangladesh presented their studies on Chittagong. They stressed the need for preserving and promoting the glorious heritage of the port city.
A “Historical Journey” was held on March 25 and 27 with around 400 children of the city's 18 schools to help them rediscover places in the city that have been there for ages and to familiarise them with their architectural characteristics.
People taking part in the programmes hailed the initiative of The Daily Star.
They hoped that the newspaper would continue to organise similar programmes in different parts of the country to project their history, heritage and potentials.