Veteran singer and Ekushey Padak recipient Shaheen Samad and Ganasangeet artiste Suraiya Parveen were honoured with the Kranti Padak 2026 and the Mahabubul Haider Mohan Memorial Padak 2026 respectively as Kranti Shilpigoshthi celebrated its 59th anniversary on Wednesday.
The awards were presented at the Music and Dance Auditorium of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA).
Kranti Shilpigoshthi General Secretary Zharna Alamgir delivered the welcome address, while the session was chaired by the organisation’s President Nilufar Jahan Chinu.
The programme began with group performances of the National Anthem and Kranti Shilpigoshthi’s theme song, Amra To Jiboner Gaan Gai.
The opening segment also featured a group recitation by Shilpabritta, along with solo recitations by Foijul Alam Pappu and Masum Ajijul Bashar. Bashar dedicated his performance to the memory of late cultural activist and renowned singer Fakir Alamgir, the founder of Wrishij Shilpigoshthi.
The award presentation and discussion session followed, with Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Director General and poet Sheikh Rezauddin Ahmed attending as the chief guest. Bangladesh Group Theatre Federation General Secretary and theatre personality Kamal Bayezid, and Bangladesh Ganasangeet Samannay Parishad President Kazi Mizanur Rahman attended as special guests.
In his address, Rezauddin Ahmed praised Kranti Shilpigoshthi for recognising deserving cultural figures without political considerations.
“Many prestigious awards become controversial because of factionalism and political influence. But these two awards have gone to truly deserving recipients, which makes them genuinely meaningful,” he said.
He also expressed hope that the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy’s artist awards would resume with merit as the primary criterion.
“When we restart the academy’s awards, I will try to ensure they remain free from political influence and honour genuine artists and cultural personalities,” he added.
Receiving the Kranti Padak, Shaheen Samad said every recognition increased her responsibility towards society.
“Whenever I receive an award, I feel my responsibility towards society becomes even greater,” she said.
Recalling her journey as a cultural activist during the Liberation War, she described it as the greatest achievement of her life and urged younger generations to watch the documentary Muktir Gaan.
“The greatest achievement of my life is that I took part in our Liberation War. I want the younger generation to watch Muktir Gaan and understand the sacrifices we made,” she said.
Accepting the Mahabubul Haider Mohan Memorial Padak, Suraiya Parveen thanked Kranti Shilpigoshthi for the recognition and reflected on the ideals of Ganasangeet.
“Ganasangeet is not only about melody. It speaks of people’s rights, justice, equality, humanity and a society free from exploitation,” she said.
She added, “I sincerely thank Kranti Shilpigoshthi for selecting me for this honour.”
Speaking at the ceremony, Kamal Bayezid said the country’s cultural sector was facing growing ideological challenges and called for greater unity among progressive cultural organisations.
“The struggle today is for culture. We must speak up, write and stand together to protect the country’s progressive cultural values,” he said.
The cultural segment resumed after the discussion with a performance by Wrishij Shilpigoshthi, followed by group Ganasangeet performances by Bohnishikha, Panchabhaskar and Surtal Sangeet Academy, alongside dance and recitation performances by participating cultural organisations.
