Published in Dhaka Tribune on Sunday, 11 March 2018
18 books, 16 people receive UPL awards
Eminent economist Prof Rehman Sobhan and Dr Hugh Brammer received the UPL Lifetime Achievement Award for their outstanding contributions to their respective fields.
A total of 18 books by several authors won the UPL Excellence Awards 2018 in various categories, and six institutions and 16 people also received awards.
University Press Ltd (UPL) for the first time ever organized such an award giving ceremony in the Abdul Karim Sahitya Bisharad auditorium at Bangla Academy in Dhaka on Saturday, marking its 40th founding anniversary.
The six institutions are: Center for Policy Dialogue, Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies, Brac, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, Ain o Salish Kendro, and Yunus Center.
Oshomapto Attojiboni [The Unfinished Memoirs] by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the only book that won the award in the Extraordinary Best Seller category.
During the award-giving ceremony, guests and participants were informed of various functions under the Adopt-a-Library Program, an initiative of the UPL to build a literate, enlightened society.
A panel discussion was also arranged on the topic “higher education, research and intellectual pursuits in the mother tongue,” moderated by Dr Rizwanul Islam, a former special adviser to the International Labour Organization’s employment sector.
Addressing the discussion event, speakers urged the government, policymakers and educational institutions across the country to encourage people to properly use and practice the Bangla language in their daily lives.
Commending the UPL’s efforts in knowledge production, Prof Emeritus Dr Anisuzzaman said: “The UPL has been publishing quality books over the last 40 years. I hope it will continue to do so in the days to come and encourage our young generation to write.”
Expressing his gratitude to UPL publisher Mohiuddin Ahmed, eminent jurist and Gono Forum President Dr Kamal Hossain said: “Most writers would have lost their interest in writing books had Mohiuddin not founded the organization, because there are some publishers who do not want to publish books of all writers. I wish the UPL continued success.”