Nominees for the BHESA Ekushey Heritage Award 2016
On January 25, 2016 the Bangladesh Heritage and Ethnic Society of Alberta (BHESA) has decided on the nominees for the Ekushey Heritage Award 2016. Honoured will be three people of the community, Delwar Jahid, Ms. Morsheda Begum, Salma Jahan.
In an unanimous decision the executive committee of BHESA approved the recommendation to honour three people of the community with the Ekushey Heritage Award. The awards will be distributed to the recipients through an official ceremony on International Mother Language Day.
Awarded for Journalism and Participation in the Liberation War as Freedom Fighter is Delwar Jahid, the current president of the Bangladesh PressClub Centre of Alberta (BPCA) and the Bangladesh Heritage Museum. Delwar Jahid is a Freedom Fighter of Bangladesh, exiled political scientist & journalist, human rights activist, and has served as the president of BHESA for the terms of 2014 and 2015.
Awarded for Community Service is Ms. Morsheda Begum, who is a cultural activist and known for her achievements as community organizer.
Awarded for Education and Community Service is Salma Jahan, the director of the Edmonton Bangla School.
Current president of BHESA, Mashod Bhuiyan, presided over the meeting which was attended among others by: Faisal Bhuiyan (General Secretary), Edward Mondol (Treasurer, and temporary Vice President), Sarwar Mahmud Arif (Joint General Secretary), Chadni Sultana Laskar (Member of Cultural Affairs), Mohammad Ali (Member of Social Affairs), and Habibur Rahman (Member of Youth Affairs).
Ekushey on the 21st of February will be celebrated by BHESA through erection of a symbolic Language Martyr's Monument at the Registrar Office Premises of the Grant MacEwan University (Downtown Campus location), where members of the community will be able to lay down flowers. BHESA is also organizing a WALK & TALK in mother tongue event (2:00 PM - 3:00 PM), and later in the evening a cultural program on International Mother Language Day.