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Published : 15 Oct 2025, 11:35 PM
Eminent writer Hasnat Abdul Hye has criticised the government for “erroneous” English in a written invitation to events organised for mystic poet Lalon Shah’s death anniversary, saying the writing was “disgraceful”.
On Wednesday evening, Hasnat posted on Facebook, thanking and congratulating the Ministry of Cultural Affairs for the initiative to organise the events.
The digital copy of the invitation that bdnews24.com received read:
“Dear Sir / Madam
In course of the new cultural journey of Bangladesh, the Ministry of Cultural Affairs is going to commemorate nationally the 135th Death Anniversary of spiritual musician Lalon Shah on 17th October 2025.
Accordingly, a three-day long programme has been chalked out to be held in Kushtia from 17th to 19th October 2025 that includes discussion on the philosophy of Lalon Shah, rendering of his music by his followers and organization of traditional Lalon Fair. In addition, a Lalon Festival will be held on 18th October 2025 at the Suhrawardy Uddyan, Dhaka.
You are most cordially invited to attend all events of the programme.
Md. Mofidur Rahman
Secretary
Ministry of Cultural Affairs”
Hasnat wrote, “However, it would have been more appropriate for the events to be held under the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy rather than directly by the ministry. The ministry’s responsibility is to formulate policy, while the implementation of such programmes should be entrusted to the academy. It is deeply regrettable to see the academy’s role being diminished in this way.”
He added, “I was also taken aback by the invitation card, which appeared in both Bangla and English. The English version contains such glaring errors that it is embarrassing to think what foreigners might make of it.
“Lalon festivals have been held in the past, but the phrase “new cultural journey of Bangladesh” used in this invitation leaves me puzzled -- it is unclear what exactly was meant by it.”
bdnews24.com has spotted the following issues in the ministry’s writing:
Incorrect punctuation. A slash should be used without any spaces on either side. The salutation in a formal letter should always be followed by a comma. The correct format would be: “Dear Sir/Madam,”
Incorrect idiom. It sounds awkward and vague. It should be something along the lines of: “As part of Bangladesh’s ongoing cultural initiatives” or “In continuation of Bangladesh’s cultural journey”.
Incorrect word order. The sentence should be structured: “...will nationally commemorate the 135th death anniversary” or simply “will commemorate the 135th death anniversary nationally”.
Archaic phrasing. “Chalked out” is bureaucratic and dated. The phrasing should be: “a three-day programme has been planned”.
Parallel structure issue; missing articles. It should be: “...discussions on Lalon Shah’s philosophy, performances of his music by his followers, and the organisation of a traditional Lalon Fair.”
18th and Uddyan: Wrong usage and spelling. It should be: “In addition, a Lalon Festival will take place on 18 October 2025 at Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka.” The date format can either be “18 October 2025”, or “the 18th of October 2025”, depending on stylistic preference.
Wordy. Better: “You are cordially invited to attend all the events.”
A post on the chief advisor’s Facebook page about the observance of Lalon’s death anniversary said: “Cheuriya’s Lalon shrine will come alive with the fragrance of earth, melodies of mystical songs, conversations, and philosophical reflections throughout the day.
“Bauls and fakirs from across the country, including Tuntun Baul, Sunil Karmakar, Rawshan Fakir, and Latif Shah, will perform.”
The Dhaka event will be held later on Oct 18, featuring performances of Lalon’s songs by Iman Chowdhury and the Bengal Symphony, Lalon Band, Nirba and Bauls, Pathik Nabi, Suchona Shely, Baula Band, Arup Rahee, Samageet and many other artistes and music groups.
When contacted by bdnews24.com, Hasnat said: “It’s good that an event on Lalon is being organised. But why is the ministry itself arranging it? The invitation card says the organiser is the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, while the Shilpakala Academy is listed as the managing body.”
“I used to be a secretary. The ministry usually does not directly organise such events. Institutions like Shilpakala Academy are responsible for hosting them. The ministry should assist or facilitate, not be the main organiser. I don’t understand why it’s taking this role,” he added.
On the English in the invitation card, he said: “There are multiple mistakes. I also don’t understand why it was written in both Bangla and English.
“Perhaps it was intended for foreigners. But if a poorly written English invitation reaches them, it will be embarrassing. Before printing the card, they should have shown it to someone who knows proper English.”
When bdnews24.com tried to reach officials from the ministry and the academy for comment, none agreed to speak. They advised contacting Cultural Affairs Advisor Mostofa Sarwar Farooki instead.
Attempts to reach Farooki by phone went unanswered.
Earlier, in a Facebook post on Aug 28, Farooki had said that the Advisory Council had declared Lalon’s death anniversary as a “Category A” national day.
He wrote, “By celebrating Lalon, alongside Rabindranath and Nazrul, we’re beginning to look beyond familiar moulds. This is just the beginning. I’m confident the day isn’t far when we’ll also celebrate our contemporary master artists at the state level.”
