‘Nagar Nabya’ cover unveiling ceremony turns reunion of bloggers

The fifth founding anniversary of blog.bdnews24.com, pioneer blog for citizen journalism in Bangladesh, has been celebrated at the Amar Ekushey Book Fair.

The cover of ‘Nagar Nabya’, a collection of travel write-ups by bloggers, was unveiled at the ceremony at Nazrul Mancha on Friday afternoon.

Cutting an anniversary cake, exchanging pleasantries, holding a raffle and honouring best bloggers marked the anniversary celebration.

The event started at about 3pm in the presence of a few bloggers but soon turned into a bloggers’ reunion.

Joynal Abedin was awarded ‘Citizen Journalism Honour-2016’ and Fardeen Ferdous ‘Conscious Blogger Conscious Citizen Honour-2016’.

Poet Nurul Huda, a Bangla Academy fellow and the editor of arts.bdnews24.com, the literary page of bdnews24.com, the country’s first and prime internet newspaper, handed over the awards.

Two other bloggers – ‘Rashed’ and Zahirul Islam Russell – won prizes – collections of blog write-ups published on two previous anniversaries – through the raffle.

bdnews24 Publishing Limited (bpl) published ‘Nagar Nabya’, edited by bloggers Monem Apu and Zahed-ur-Rahman.

The book, priced at Tk 150, is available at the BPL stall at the fair.

Speaking at the event, Huda called blogging ‘a process to come out of blindness’.

He said the bdnews24.com-run blog was moderate, sophisticated and well-edited and it did not create any imbalance in society.

“Rather it works to bring about social equality and balance,” he added.

blog.bdnews24.com Editor Ireen Sultana said the blog had been a platform to accommodate the opinions of the people who have not been duly recognised by society”

“We are advancing as we accommodate the opinions of all and we are building a reader community,” she said.