No update on Bangla Academy Literary Award 2024, jury member Morshed steps down

Although three working days have passed, the Bangla Academy is still unable to announce any new decision regarding its suspended Literary Awards.

Meanwhile, Morshed Shafiul Hasan, a member of the jury board, has announced that he will step down from his responsibilities related to the award.

Among those who were named in the first award list, fiction writer Selim Morshed has already announced that he will decline the award. As a result, many people believe the Academy is confused about how to put together a new list.

Morshed received the Bangla Academy Literary Award eight years ago. He was one of the members of this year’s jury board and the award committee. He said he is now feeling "embarrassed instead of proud" in the wake of recent controversies surrounding the award.

He told bdnews24.com on Wednesday morning, “I have fulfilled my responsibilities as a jury member. We may not have been able to award everyone who is deserving, but none of those considered for the award are ineligible.”

The Bangla Academy Literary Awards 2024 were announced in a press release on Thursday. Later, the award was postponed on Saturday due to "some complaints" about certain nominees.

The Academy decided to reconsider and republish the list within three working days. Although the period ended on Tuesday, the Academy, the promoter of the award, has yet to finalise their decision.

Regarding the suspension of the award, the Academy said: "Due to the emerging social-political situation and complaints regarding some of the nominees, it was discussed that the 'Bangla Academy Literary Awards 2024' should be reconsidered."

Asked about the decision, the Academy’s Director General Mohammad Azam told bdnews24.com: “We could not hold a meeting on Tuesday due to engagements tied to the book fair. The meeting will be held today and a decision will be taken in this regard."

This time, ten people were named as winners of the Bangla Academy Literary Awards.

The awardees announced were: Masud Khan for poetry, Selim for fiction, Shubhashish Sinha for drama and playwriting, Salimullah Khan for essays, Faruk Nawaz for children’s literature, GH Habib for translation, Mohammad Shahjahan Mia for research, Rezaur Rahman for science, Mohammad Hannan for the Liberation War, and Syed Jamil Ahmed for folklore.

The absence of female writers among the recipients of this year’s award sparked widespread criticism, with Cultural Affairs Advisor Mostofa Sarwar Farooki calling the omission “surprising” and advocating for an overhaul of the selection process in a Facebook post on Jan 24.

He also commented that "it is time to reform the nomination process” for this award.

The Academy decided to suspend the award the next day. The cultural affairs advisor announced the suspension of the award in a Facebook post. A group of netizens later claimed on social media that the advisor interfered in the suspension of the award.

Referring to Farooki's post, Morshed said: "No one thought that the intelligence reports about the authors and their past political identity or activities should be taken into account while naming the recipients of the Bangla Academy award from now on, as was the case with public job appointments during the previous government. Maybe they should have!”

"I first became aware of this following two consecutive posts by the cultural affairs advisor on social media, and after the issue of revising the award was raised, I completely removed myself from the process out of self-respect and trust in my own judgment.

"I don't know what others think, but I personally feel that if the current award policy or the existing system of the Academy is not right, if it is faulty, then the awards should be considered only after reforms.”

“The award could be suspended for a year. It has probably happened twice before that no one was given the award that year. Has it affected the reputation of the Academy as an institution?”

Several times in the past, after the announcement of the Bangla Academy Award, questions have been raised about the eligibility of certain nominees. However, Morshed described what happened this time as “unfortunate”.

"This has not only undermined the quality or weight of the award but also tarnished the Academy's image as a traditional institution, which does not seem to be easy to restore," he said.

"If someone's award is withdrawn in this way and the same award is given to someone else after 'reconsideration', will it not affect the authors’ self-esteem to accept the award, no matter how good or eligible they are in their own fields? Wouldn't they be embarrassed?”

“I received the Bangla Academy Award myself years ago. Thinking back on that today, I feel a little embarrassed instead of proud."

The award was scheduled to be formally presented by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus at the inauguration of the Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2025 on Feb 1.