The ‘Oitijjho-Shantanu Kaiser Literary Award 2025’ was presented at an event held to honour the memory and literary legacy of writer and academic Shantanu Kaiser.
The award ceremony and publication event for the 10-volume Shantanu Kaiser Rachanabali were held on Tuesday (18 August) at the Kabi Shamsur Rahman Seminar Room of Bangla Academy.
The event was jointly organised by Oitijjho and the Shantanu Kaiser Memorial Library and Study Centre.
Eminent intellectual and Emeritus Professor Serajul Islam Choudhury was scheduled to attend as the chief guest but could not join due to sudden illness.
A recorded video statement by him was screened at the event, in which he described his former student Shantanu Kaiser as a writer committed to humanistic values.
Oitijjho chief executive Arifur Rahman Naim said the publishing house had released two of Shantanu Kaiser’s books, Bangla Kothasahitya: Bhinn Matra and Chhotto Bondhura, when it began its publishing journey 25 years ago.
“It gives me immense joy that his complete works are now reaching readers through Etyadi,” he said, adding that the publishing house had consistently supported young and promising literary voices.
Drama director Foyez Zahir discussed Shantanu Kaiser’s life and work at the event, describing him as a man deeply connected with theatre, literature and the dream of building an equitable society.
Literary figure Papri Rahman discussed the three winning books of the 2025 award.
They are poet Hemaet Ullah Emon’s poetry collection Fenafool, Zubayer Rashid’s docufiction Galiber Mushayeray and playwright Sharan Ehsan’s play Purnama.
Rahman praised all three books for their quality and said they reflected the depth and breadth of the imagination and worldview of Bangladesh’s young writers.
Each winner received a Tk50,000 prize, a crest and a certificate.
The three award-winning manuscripts were previously published as books by Oitijjho at the Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2026.
Accepting the awards, Hemaet Ullah Emon, Zubayer Rashid and Sharan Ehsan said the ‘Oitijjho-Shantanu Kaiser Literary Award’ had already emerged as a respected and attractive literary award for young writers.
They said the recognition would inspire them in their future literary pursuits.
Russell Raihan, editor of the 10-volume Shantanu Kaiser Rachanabali and Shantanu Kaiser’s youngest son, joined the event virtually from Australia.
He thanked Etyadi for bringing the complete body of work of a distinguished but publicity-shy writer to a wider readership.
In his closing remarks, Professor Mohit Ul Alam described Shantanu Kaiser as an accomplished essayist, researcher, poet, fiction writer, playwright, editor and academic.
He said Kaiser’s writings enriched readers’ understanding and sharpened their consciousness.
He also praised Oitijjho for publishing Kaiser’s collected works in 10 volumes and said the literary award would serve as a valuable legacy for future generations of writers.
