Salute to creativity
It was an occasion to honour those who portray the connection between man and nature through their pens and lenses.
It was the awarding ceremony of Celebrating Life -- a tie-up between Standard Chartered Bank and The Daily Star.
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The seventh event of the initiative began with the rendition of a song by acclaimed actress and singer Shampa Reza at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital yesterday.
The song's lyrics were penned by Sipra Goswami, who won the first prize in the lyrics category.
The theme of this year's competition was “Living in Harmony”, set with the objective to portray through photos, lyrics and films a Bangladesh where people co-exist with nature.
Cultural Affairs Minister Asaudzzaman Noor, who attended the ceremony as chief guest, said this initiative by the Standard Chartered and The Daily Star will further strengthen the cultural foundation of the country.
He regretted that the children at present are not getting proper exposure to cultural activities. Rather, they are being "tortured" with textbooks and certificate-oriented studies.
“There are no rivers, birds or flowers in their life. We don't hear the sound of harmonium coming from any child's home. They are only collecting some information, not acquiring knowledge,” he said.
A bleak future is awaiting the nation if the situation does not change, he warned.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Jim McCabe said, “We are not only making contributions to the financial sector but also have taken up the partnership to promote the positive image of this country, particularly [in ] art and culture.”
In the welcome speech, Editor and Publisher of The Daily Star Mahfuz Anam greeted the large gathering of cultural luminaries, participants, award recipients and their family members.
“This is true that we have limitations and failures in many areas but we are also making some definitive progresses at the same time,” he said.
“We are not aware of many successes we have gained, particularly in the fields of art and culture. We need to know our successes. It will help us overcome adversities,” Mahfuz Anam said.
Like the previous years, the Lifetime Achievement Awards went to three eminent personalities --Sayeeda Khanum for photography, Rani Sarker for film and Sheikh Sadi Khan for music.
Hailing them, the minister said, “The cultural palace of Bangladesh could not have been built without their contributions.”
Three contestants from photography and lyrics categories each were awarded. The winners received crests, certificates and cash prizes.
Unfortunately, no awards were given in the film category as none of the 193 participants in the contest could meet the minimum standards of the competition.
In the photography category, winner Pankaj Sikder received Tk 1 lakh, while the first runner-up Noor Ahmed Gelal got Tk 75,000 and the second runner-up Shaikh Mohir Uddin Tk 50,000.
KM Asad, Probal Rashid, Md Zakirul Mazed Konok, Mahfuz Hasan Bhuiyan, Kazi Golam Quddus Helal, Faisal and Abdur Rahman received awards in the honorary mention category.
Sipra Goswami got Tk 50,000 as the winner in the lyrics competition. Tapan Baghchi received Tk 30,000 and Quazi Afzal Hossain Tk 20,000 as the first and the second runners-up respectively.
Awards for lyrics in the honourable mention category went to Rafiq Muyajjin and Rayhana Parvin.
The programme concluded with the performance of Rabindranath Tagore's dance drama Tasher Desh, presented by Shadhona.
Since 2008, Celebrating Life has been honouring young talents working to uphold and promote the cultural heritage of the country.
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