Avro's Mehdi Hasan to receive Ekushey Padak alongside 3 friends

Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki announced that Mehdi Hasan, a key figure in the creation of the Avro keyboard, will receive the Ekushey Padak alongside his three friends – Rifat Nabi, Tanbin Islam Siam, and Shabab Mustafa, who also played vital roles in its development.

Mostofa Sarwar Farooki shared this information on Facebook on Sunday (February 9).

In his Facebook post, Farooki wrote, "I can now openly say that we knew Mehdi Hasan Khan wasn’t interested in accepting the award. He had been approached before, but even though he might decline, we, as a cabinet, decided to announce the award. Through this, we aimed to send a message about who we choose to celebrate."

He continued, "Yesterday, when I spoke with him, he was still reluctant. Eventually, he agreed to accept the award, but he didn’t want to accept the honor by himself. He insisted that he would only accept it alongside his three friends – Rifat Nabi, Tanbin Islam Siam, and Shabab Mustafa, who also played key roles in the creation of Avro. We are proud to announce that, defying the norm, these four individuals will receive the Ekushey Padak together for their contributions to Avro."

Farooki added, "All four of them are traveling from different parts of the world to Bangladesh to receive the award. I’m excited to welcome them all. I’m confident this will inspire many young people to move forward, no matter the challenges – Bangladesh, onward and upward."