Chandpur: The Charyapada Sahitya Academy Literature Festival-2026 was held in Chandpur today, where the prestigious Donagazi Medal for the years 2025 and 2026 were awarded to seven distinguished personalities from various fields. Organised by Charyapada Academy, the event took place at the Red Rose Hall of the Journalists Club in Chandpur city.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the 2025 segment of the award honored Sohrab Pasha for poetry, Ishrat Tania for fiction, S M Shamsul Alam for children's literature, and Ronok Raihan for music. In the 2026 segment, Shibli Moktadir received the award for poetry, Amal Sengupta for fine arts, and Syeda Ankhi Haque for her contributions to folk research.
The event was graced by Former Bangladesh Television Director and Renowned Poet Nasir Ahmed, who served as the chief guest. Expressing his admiration for the award, he mentioned, "The reputation of this award has impressed me. I think this award is now considered one of the important awards in the country." Despite his health challenges, Ahmed made a special effort to attend the event, stating, "I have suffered four strokes. As a result, I do not want to attend any event outside Dhaka. But after hearing about the Charyapada Sahitya Academy, I could not stay away without coming."
The festival commenced with theatre researcher Mostafa Kamal inaugurating the Jatra event at 11 am. The proceedings were presided over by the President of Charyapada Sahitya Academy, Ayesha Akter Rupa, with Director General Rafiquzzaman Roni and Jury Board Member-Secretary Shiuli Majumder moderating the event.
The event also featured speeches from Jalchhabi Editor Poet Jamshed Wazed, Jaldhi Editor Nahida Ashrafi, Bijoyi founder Tania Ishtiaq Khan, Youth Forum Bangladesh Coordinator Aleya Begum Lucky, and Poet Asadullah Kahaf, among others. Since 2019, the academy has been regularly presenting the Donagazi Medal, recognizing significant contributions in various cultural and literary fields.