SAARC Writers Foundation confers Literary Award on Bangabandhu

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

Jehangir Hussain

The Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature (FOSWAL) on Sunday conferred "Special Literary Award" on Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for his trilogy — The Unfinished Memoirs, The Prison Diaries and New China 1952.

FOSWAL conferred the  SAARC Literature Award 2023 at its  63rd Literature Festival, said the citation.

Eminent Punjabi novelist and FOSWAL Founder President Ajeet Cour handed over the award to the visiting Bangladeshi writers and researchers Mofidul Haque and Ramendu Majumder.

FOSWAL has been conferring the annual SAARC Literary Award since 2001.

The citation said, "Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, architect of Independent Bangladesh, 'Bangabandhu' to his people, is a towering figure of national liberation of oppressed people of the world. Like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther king he was brutally murdered by the forces of darkness, but no power on earth can erase him from history."

It added, "A new dimension of his life opened up when his long-lost prison diary and note book came to light and was subsequently published".

The citation further said that the 'trilogy has great merit as a political document and a human testament written with love and compassion, by a man who changed the course of history and led his people to freedom'.

"It is the proud privilege of Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature to honour Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for outstanding literary excellence for his trilogy", it added.

The three-day regional literary conference of FOSWAL began in the Indian capital New Delhi on Sunday morning. A large number of eminent writers and literatures from the South East Asian region including Bangladesh have been participating in the conference.

Narrating the significance of opening the conference on the Independence Day of Bangladesh, in a message, Ajeet Cour earlier said, the victory of Bangladesh in 1971 over Pakistan was not a small incident.

"It was a unique achievement through the most unique courage of conviction of the Father of the Bangla Nation; lovingly called 'Banga Bandhu', who fought like a lion for preserving tradition, culture and language! All that is more important to preserve a country's dignity than the life of any human being!" she wrote.

Cour also wrote, "People all over the globe have been fighting wars for lands and territories, for their independence from foreign oppression, or from Monarchs and Dictators. But the War of Liberation of Bangladesh was different and unique, because it was for preservation of the 'Vibrant Spirit of Man' which throbs and thrives only in its own culture and in its own language!"

In the message, she said although Bangabandhu is not amongst us, but he left behind three valuable and thoughtful books for us. So, to pay respect to the great human being, he (Bangabandhu) is being honoured by FOSWAL with its special literary award-2023.

Bangladeshi Writers Selina Hossain and Mohit Kamal, are also participating in the FOSWAL Regional Conference.

Besides, Minister Press at Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi Shaban Mahmood and Consular (Political) Safiul Alam were present representing the high commission.

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