Rased Mehedi’s fifth novel ‘The Journalist’ at book fair

On the 11th day of the Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2025, renowned fiction writer and journalist Rased Mehedi has released his latest novel, The Journalist. The book was brought to the fair on Tuesday, February 11, by Akshar Publications. The novel has been written basing on the experiences of journalists.

The story revolves around the work environment of the media in Bangladesh, the politics within news organizations, the struggles of professional journalists, and the challenges of journalism at the national level.

The 110-page novel features a cover designed by Sohanur Rahman Ananto. It is published by Akshar Publications, located at Suhrawardy Udyan, Stall No. 30. The book is available at a special discounted price of 190 BDT.

The novel is dedicated to two legendary journalists, Toab Khan and Golam Sarwar, who are regarded as beacons of journalism.

The novel begins with Sumit Haque, a well-known journalist in Bangladesh. Suddenly, he himself becomes the headline of a major news story. A viral video clip featuring Sumit creates a nationwide sensation. Not only does this incident cost him his position as Head of News at a leading television channel, but it also forces him to leave the country.

Amid this turmoil, a district correspondent of a national newspaper, Rupali Banik, is murdered. To investigate the incident, the newsroom assigns Kalyan Kabir, a skilled and fearless reporter, to the case.

As Kalyan delves deeper into the story, he finds himself trapped in a web of mysterious events. Two enigmatic women enter his life, shaking his confidence. Ultimately, he finds himself standing at the edge of a deep ravine on top of a towering mountain. In front of him, a mighty waterfall crashes down the rocks, while behind him, a dense forest looms ominously.

Before Kalyan Kabir disappears, Sumit Haque returns to the newsroom with a smile, standing amidst the dimly lit news studio. Meanwhile, a young trainee reporter at the editing panel finds himself standing in front of a single beam of light—his mouth gagged, his voice silenced...

Rased Mehedi emphasizes that all characters in the novel are fictional. He states that there is no connection between the novel’s story and any real-life individuals or events. However, he hopes that the book will resonate with readers.

Rased Mehedi has been passionate about writing since his school days, with his short stories, poems, and articles published in various newspapers and magazines.

His first novel, ‘Gani Adam’s Campus’, was published in 2012, based on the anti-rape movement at Jahangirnagar University in 1998. The book received critical acclaim. He later published two more novels—‘Rajpather Mahakabya’ and ‘Concrete’s Black Cat’.

Additionally, his Bangla cyberpunk thriller Three Cheers Metaverse was published in the online literary magazine LitBangla (litbangla.com), making it the first of its kind in Bengali literature.

In 2024, his only poetry collection, Facebook-e Dekhi Chand, was released in PDF format during the Amar Ekushey Book Fair. The foreword was written by legendary Bengali poet Nirmalendu Goon.

Rased Mehedi is a career journalist. He is currently the Editor of Views Bangladesh (www.viewsbangladesh.com), the country’s first real-time bilingual (Bangla-English) news portal.

With 28 years of experience, he has worked with Dainik Sangbad, Dainik Bhorer Kagoj, Dainik Janakantha, Ekushey Television, and Samakal. He served as a Special Correspondent at Dainik Samakal for 12 years.

In his personal life, he is married and the father of one child.