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Published : 25 Mar 2016, 01:53 AM
Hasina herself gave the ‘extra’ money, a Tk 2 coin, while conferring Bangladesh’s highest civilian award on him at Osmani Memorial Auditorium on Thursday, Goon told bdnews24.com.
Goon’s nomination for the award this year has been much discussed among readers and other poets.
He was seen speaking to Hasina, his classmate at the Dhaka University, while receiving the award. The others around who heard them laughed.
Asked about the conversation, Goon revealed the Tk 2 story.
But why an additional Tk 2?
The poet indicated to an incident that happened some 50 years ago.
After the assassination of American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr in 1968, Goon, poet Abul Hasan, Selim Al Deen, Humayun Kabir, writer Humayun Azad and several others, who were studying at university then, published a compilation of anti-imperialist poems.
Goon had tried but failed to sell a copy to Hasina.
In an interview with bdnews24.com’s Razu Alauddin last year, he said Hasina had told him that the money would be better used if it was given to a beggar instead of them.
Remembering that instance, Hasina gave the poet Tk 2 with the Independence Award.
After the awardees had been named, Goon took to Facebook to vent his anger for leaving him out.
Later, the government put his name on the list of the awardees.
After getting the nomination, he told bdnews24.com: “Love, money, and award are to be earned.”
