Registration for the seventh season of ‘Ispahani Mirzapur Banglabid’, one of Bangladesh’s most popular television competitions promoting the Bengali language, officially opened on Saturday following its launch at a press conference held at the Channel i premises in Dhaka. Registration will remain open until 30 July.
The programme began with the screening of a documentary highlighting memorable moments from the previous six editions. The event was hosted by Mousumi Mou and chaired by Channel i Managing Director Faridur Reza Sagar.
The chief guest was noted linguist and former Director General of Bangla Academy Professor Mansur Musa. Also present were Ispahani Group directors Zahida Ispahani and Mirza Ahmed Ispahani, competition judge and writer Anisul Hoque, actress Trapa Majumdar, Dhaka University Bangla Department Professor Tariq Manzur, Ispahani Tea Limited General Manager Omar Hannan, Deputy General Manager Fazle Rabbi and other organisers.
In his address, Faridur Reza Sagar said ‘Banglabid’ had become an event embraced by people across the country. He noted that nearly 200,000 contestants registered for the previous edition, describing it as evidence of the competition’s popularity.
He added that many contestants who had emerged from the platform were now demonstrating their talents in cultural fields and the media, expressing hope that this year’s participation would surpass all previous records.
Omar Hannan said the competition, which began in 2017, could not be organised for several years because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the national elections. He added that the organisers had never imagined a Bengali language based competition would grow into the country’s largest reality competition.
He said preliminary selection rounds would be held in divisional cities across the country after registration closes on 30 July. Eighty contestants selected through those rounds will compete in the main stage in Dhaka, which will be broadcast by Channel i. The grand finale of the seventh season is scheduled for 1 January next year.
Hannan also acknowledged the contributions of Ibn Hasan Khan and Taher Shipon, thanking them for their roles in organising the competition.
Professor Mansur Musa later officially inaugurated the seventh season.
Speaking briefly at the event, judge Anisul Hoque described ‘Banglabid’ as one of the most engaging, vibrant and beneficial programmes on Bangladeshi television. Actress Trapa Majumdar said the enthusiasm people have shown for the Bengali language remained the competition’s greatest strength.
Organisers said interested participants can register from Saturday. Volunteers from ‘Banglabid’ will work to reach educational institutions across all divisions and regions with information about the competition. Details regarding registration and the contest will be available through national newspapers, Channel i and the social media pages of Ispahani Mirzapur Tea.
The organisers expressed hope that this year’s competition would once again attract a large number of language enthusiasts from across Bangladesh as it continues its mission of promoting the proper use of the Bengali language and enriching the language skills of the younger generation.
