The country is stronger and more energetic than ever before, said Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the chief advisor to the interim government, at the Ekushey Padak award ceremony at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital on Thursday afternoon.
He said, "The dreams of our young generation are more daring than the dreams of any generation in the past. Just as they want to create a new Bangladesh, they also want to create a new world with the same confidence. They want to lead in creating a new world. They are ready to lead. Boys are ready, girls are ready. They want to build the new civilization of their dreams by breaking free from the shackles of a self-destructive civilization."
He said that the main goal of a civilization would be to ensure equal rights for every human being over all the resources of the world, to ensure every human being has every opportunity to dream and realize that dream, and to develop human life in such a way that the existence of the earth is not disrupted in any way and the healthy survival of all living beings on the earth is not disrupted in any way.
Dr. Yunus, in the changing circumstances of the country, this year's Amar Ekushey has come before us with a new significance. We know that Ekushey February is an indestructible monument of our identity. The lifeblood of our freedom consciousness. In this February of 1952, the student community stood up to protest the unjust decision imposed by the Pakistani rulers on the issue of the state language. By pouring fresh blood on the streets of Dhaka, Bengali was established as the state language. It was through this language movement that an incredible awakening of our freedom consciousness was created.
The Chief Advisor said, "On behalf of the countrymen, I congratulate the distinguished personalities of the country who have been awarded the Ekushey Padak today. The nation is particularly grateful for your contribution. You are the guides of the nation. Inspired by your contribution, the nation will firmly believe that it will continuously establish itself in a better position in the United Nations."
This year, the nominees for the award are Azizur Rahman (posthumous) in film, Ustad Nirad Baran Barua (posthumous) and Ferdous Ara in music, Moidul Hasan in research, Dr. Niaz Zaman in education, Nasir Ali Mamun in photography and Rokeya Sultana in painting, Mahfuz Ullah in journalism (posthumous), Mehdi Hasan Khan (team leader), Rifat Nabi (team member), Md. Tanbin Islam Siam (team member) and Shabab Mustafa (team member) in science and technology.
In addition, Mohammad Yusuf Chowdhury (posthumously) will receive the medal for social service, Mahmudur Rahman for journalism and human rights, Helal Hafiz (posthumously) and Shahidul Zahir (Md. Shahidul Haque) (posthumously) for language and literature, Dr. Shahidul Alam for culture and education, and the Bangladesh national women's football team for sports.
The Ekushey Padak, introduced in memory of the martyrs of the Language Movement, is awarded by the government every year in recognition of special contributions in various fields.
The Ekushey Padak has been awarded since 1976 to the country's prominent writers, language warriors, artists, educationists, linguists, researchers, journalists, economists, personalities and institutions that have contributed to poverty alleviation in recognition of their unique contributions at the national level.
