Commemorative programme on Sayeed Ahmed on January 11

A commemorative programme on playwright Sayeed Ahmed -- to mark both his 82nd birth anniversary and 3rd death anniversary -- will be held at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka on January 11. Sayeed Ahmed Foundation for Culture and Art will organise the programme that will feature a seminar, discussion and staging of one of his plays.
The seminar will be held at noon at the Seminar Room of the academy. Theatre activist Abdus Selim will read out the keynote paper, focusing on the essence of patriotism and internationalism in Ahmed's plays. The list of discussants is expected to include theatre personalities Aly Zaker, Nasiruddin Yousuff, Ataur Rahman, Liaquat Ali Lucky and Professor Israfeel Shaheen. Hasnat Abdul Hye will moderate the seminar.
The second phase of the programme will feature staging of Ahmed's play “Kalbela”. Theatre troupe Palakar will stage the play. Poet-playwright Syed Shamsul Haq will speak on Ahmed prior to the staging of the play, while Suraiya Begum, secretary, Ministry of Cultural Affairs will formally announce the staging of the play.
Ahmed is one of pioneering cultural personalities of the country, especially in the field of theatre. He was born on January 1, 1931 at Islampur in old Dhaka. Among his most notable plays are “Kalbela” (1962), “Milepost” (1965), “Trishnae” (1968), “Ek Din Protidin” (1974) and “Shesh Nawab” (1988).
His plays have been translated into English, French, German and Italian.
Ahmed received the Bangla Academy Award in 1974 and the Legion d'Honneur from the French Government in 1993.
Ahmed was well known to the BTV audience for his “Bishwa Natok” (world classics) where he introduced and directed plays of international fame.