Hasina presents Ekushey Padak to 21 eminent personalities

Poet Rudra Mohammad Shahidullah and singer Andrew Kishore are among six posthumous recipients of the award

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has conferred the Ekushey Padak, the nation’s second highest civilian award, on 21 distinguished individuals for their contributions across various fields.

She presented the awards at a ceremony at Dhaka's Osmani Memorial Auditorium on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Cultural Affairs announced the names of the awardees on Feb 13.

The winners received a gold medal weighing 35 grams, a prize of Tk 400,000 and a certificate.

This year, six people received the award posthumously. They include late poet Rudra Mohammad Shahidullah and singer Andrew Kishore.

Shuvro Dev is the other singer who won the award, while Shibli Mohammad won it under the dance category.

Actors MA Alamgir and Dolly Zahur were recognised for their work in film and television.

The others include reciters Khan Md Mustapha Waleed aka Shimul Mustapha and Rupa Chakrabarty, alongside rhymester Lutfor Rahman Riton.

Meanwhile, Ashrafuddin Ahmad and freedom fighter Hatem Ali were posthumously honoured for their roles in the 1952 Language Movement.

In the music category, late baul songwriter Jalal Uddin Khan, freedom fighter Kalyani Ghosh, and singer-composer Bidit Lal Das (posthumous) received the award.

Painter Shahjahan Ahmed Bikash was recognised in the painting category, while Kawsar Chowdhury received the award for his work in Liberation War documentary and archiving.

For their contributions to social services, Md Ziaul Haque and Alhajj Rafique Ahmad were honoured. The government also recognised Muhammad Samad for his achievements in language and literature and Prof Jinbodhi Bhikkhu in the field of education.

The Ekushey Padak has been awarded annually since 1976 to celebrate the contributions and achievements of notable individuals and organisations.