Winners of BRAC Bank-Samakal literary award announced
BRAC Bank and Daily Samakal announced the winners of the BRAC Bank-Samakal Literary Award 2021 on February 11, 2023. Professor Rehman Sobhan, Salek Khokon, Monju Sarker, and Kizi Tahnin were recognized for their contributions to Bangla literature at a ceremony held at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka.
BRAC Bank-Samakal literary award
This year, BRAC Bank and Daily Samakal introduced a ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ to honor a veteran author for their contributions to Bangla literature, which was awarded to Professor Rehman Sobhan. Salek Khokon won the award for his book “71 Er Akorgrontho” in the essay, autobiography, travel story and translation category. Monju Sarker won for his book “Ujanjatra” in the poetry and novel category, and Kizi Tahnin was honored for his book “Budh Grohe Chand Utheche” in the ‘Young Writer’ category.
A total of 570 books were submitted for the three categories and the winners were selected by a panel of jury consisting of Selina Hossain, Faizul Latif Chowdhury, Abid Anwar, and Khalikuzzaman Elias. The winners received cash prizes ranging from Tk. 1 lakh to Tk. 5 lakh, along with a crest and citation.
BRAC Bank’s Managing Director and CEO, Selim R. F. Hussain, spoke about the award initiative, stating that it has generated huge enthusiasm in the literary arena of Bangladesh and provided writers, especially young writers, with a platform to flourish in literature. He added that BRAC Bank is proud to be associated with this initiative.
Bangladesh Parliament Speaker Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, MP was the Chief Guest at the ceremony and was joined by Daily Samakal Publisher A K Azad, BRAC Bank Chairman Ahsan H. Mansur, Daily Samakal Acting Editor Mozammel Hossain, and other literary and eminent personalities of the country.
