Meena media awards 2005

Meena Media Awards 2005 is the first initiative in Bangladesh to honour and encourage quality media production for and about children. This award opens the door to both children and adults working in the media to show their skills and ingenuity in this field.

The Meena Media Awards is funded and organized by UNICEF with Singapore-based Asian Media Information Centre (AMIC) as the official organizing partner. The award ceremony was arranged on April 18 at the Bengal Art Gallery in Dhanmondi. Mr. Morten Giersing, the representative of UNICEF and Christie McIver gave their speeches at the ceremony. 187 items took part in the contest and 7 of those stood out. The 7 categories included best electronic and print media production, traditional or folk media and best film. The awardees are Anwar Hossain, Out of Focus (an 11 member group of children), Hazera Khanam, Shahiduzzaman Badal, Sardar Zainul Abedin, Rowshan Ara Nipa and Arya Srestha (only ten-year old and probably the youngest director). The winning items are Shobujer Deshe, Seema - the eight year girl, My Travel to Europe, Esho Shikhi Bornomala, Taste Lone Story, Amrao Pari etc.

Entries were restricted to one person, organisation or production house. The prize money was fifty thousand BDT for production and training use only. The jury was consisted of representatives from both the civil society and the organising agencies. A special children's jury was also appointed to select two special children's recognition awards. They assessed entries that were for children only.

If anyone is interested to take part in the competition he can contact Ms. Laila Karim, Assistant Communication Officer, Communication and Information Section, UNICEF Bangladesh, BSL Office Complex, 1 Minto Road, Dhaka- 1000. The last date for entry is 31st December 2006. Entries must be accompanied with the following details- title; production house or name of the artist; contact details; production dates; broadcast, launch, performance or publishing date; target group; communication objective and award category. The organisers expressed their hope to make Meena Media Award play an important role in the future media production for children in Bangladesh.

By Durdana Ghias

Omen
Dedicated to "Double Zero"
My cascade dreamland, come hither
Let's flourish the realm of our imagination
I can see dreams lurching in your eyes
Haul them up, let's dream the dreams together
Irksome eyes open, widen to earth's vizier
Let me see, let us see the horizon lying far
Far away, imbibing lustrous lavish ray
Like a hungry fawn licking thin stratum of water's edge
Let me be the fawn and the horizon furrowed in the sky
So as I wither, lusting your vigorous love, my strength fades and then
Gracious (?!) omen dripping profusely from obscure seventh heaven
Merely for us
And afterwards .
The water seems utterly vaporized than erstwhile
Fawn gapes at being stunned
So would be the surge rays bursting into a smile
Day is what night had covered

By Zahir Nabil

"Love and Happiness"
Of love and fortune, happiness and choosing:
No reason is enough for such a choice.
You total up the winning and the losing,
Out of which comes no commanding voice.
Underneath the numbers is the need,
Reckless as a snowflake in the wind,
Eden once again by love decreed,
Nor can mere knowledge such sweet hope rescind.
Gifts of grace are given but to those
Amazed enough to step into the light,
Great with wonder at the life they chose,
Embracing it with unabashed delight.
May you choose again each day to love,
Each the gift that does the other move,
Needing always someone who needs you,
That fortune not for one find joy, but two.

By Aiman Khan