On Saturday, six distinguished individuals were honored with Bangla Academy’s six awards in recognition of their contributions in various fields. Additionally, seven individuals received the Bangla Academy Honorary Fellowships 2024. Among the awardees, Dr. Firdausi Qadri, Chief Scientific Officer at icddr,b, was recognized for her groundbreaking contributions to immunology, genomics, proteomic technology, diagnostics, and vaccines. Notably, she developed the affordable ‘Shanchol’ vaccine as a cost-effective alternative to the expensive ‘Dukoral’ vaccine, significantly aiding in the prevention of cholera in Bangladesh.
Dr. Sayeba Akhter, an Executive Member of the International Society of Obstetric Fistula Surgeons, was honored for her development of the “Sayeba’s Method,” an innovative and highly cost-effective approach to stopping postpartum hemorrhage using Uterine Balloon Tamponade (UBT).
Following the 47th general meeting at the Bangla Academy premises, the awards, consisting of a monetary prize, certificates, commemorative plaques, and floral tributes, were presented by Professor Abul Kasem Fazlul Haque, President of the Bangla Academy, and Professor Mohammad Azam, its Director General. Other recipients of the Bangla Academy Honorary Fellowships 2024 included Moeedul Hasan (Liberation War), Richard M. Eaton (History), Sugata Chakma (Language Research), Shahidul Alam (Fine Arts), and Shambhu Acharya (Fine Arts).
This year, the Bangla Academy posthumously awarded the ‘Sa’dat Ali Akhand Literary Award 2024’ to the late translator and researcher Mohammad Harun-Ur-Rashid. The ‘Mohammad Barkatullah Essay Literature Award 2024’ was presented to essayist and researcher Dr. Wakil Ahmed. The ‘Kabir Chowdhury Children’s Literature Award 2024’ went to children’s author Abu Saleh. The ‘Professor Momtazuddin Ahmed Drama Award 2024’ was awarded to dramatist Naila Azad, while the ‘Abu Rushd Literary Award 2024’ was presented to fiction writer Nasima Anis. Fiction writer Sushanta Majumder received the ‘Rabeya Khatun Fiction Award 2024’ for his overall contributions to fiction. Additionally, Sumon Majumder was honored with the ‘Rabeya Khatun Fiction Award 2024’ for his novel Raimangal, published in 2023, in the category for writers under 49 years of age.
Earlier in the day, during the general meeting, Professor Mohammad Azam, Director General of the Bangla Academy, presented the annual report for the fiscal year 2023–2024. Meanwhile, Secretary Mohd. Nayeb Ali outlined the budget for the fiscal year 2024–2025. Under the chairmanship of Professor Abul Kasem Fazlul Haque, President of the Bangla Academy, members of the academy engaged in general discussions regarding the annual report and budget. The Director General responded to members’ questions and addressed proposals raised during the session.
With the consensus of fellows, life members, and general members from across the country, the proceedings of the 46th Annual General Meeting held on November 25, 2023, were formally approved.
The 47th General Meeting of the Bangla Academy was facilitated by Deputy Directors Sayera Habib, Kazi Rumana Ahmed Soma, Dr. Shahed Montaz, Rokhsana Parveen Smriti, and Acting Deputy Director Dr. Mahbuba Rahman.
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