# ‘Avro Keyboard’ Creator Mehdi Hasan Khan to Receive Ekushey Padak

> Mehdi Hasan Khan, a programmer and doctor, created Avro Keyboard, revolutionizing Bengali typing. Inspired by a 2003 book fair exhibition, he developed the software to address the lack of Unicode-based Bengali typing to…

Published: 2025-02-06 · Desk: Latest · Source: Dhaka Post

Mehdi Hasan Khan, a pioneer of the digital revolution in the Bengali language, is the creator of Avro Keyboard. This skilled programmer and medical professional is now set to receive the prestigious Ekushey Padak in the Science and Technology category. His remarkable contribution to simplifying Bengali typing has left a lasting impact.

The inspiration for Avro Keyboard came to Mehdi Hasan Khan in 2003 when he visited a book fair and came across an exhibition organized by a group called BIOS. It was during this event that the idea of developing user-friendly software for Bengali typing first took shape in his mind. Determined to turn this idea into reality, he embarked on a journey to create a more efficient solution for Bengali text input.

At that time, there was no widely available software that supported Bengali typing based on Unicode, making it difficult for users to write in their native language with ease. To address this issue, he took matters into his own hands and began developing his own software. His initial attempt involved building a prototype using the Microsoft .NET framework. However, this early version encountered several technical difficulties. Undeterred, he shifted his approach and rebuilt the software using classic Visual Basic, which ultimately provided a stable and effective platform for Bengali writing.

After months of dedication and refinement, Avro Keyboard was officially launched on March 26, 2003. Later that year, on September 15, 2003, it was publicly released by Omicron Lab, marking a significant milestone in Bengali computing.

Original reporting: https://www.dhakapost.com/technology/342159?fbclid=IwY2xjawIRrtpleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHdJWc9RS2OpTCyZ8V6LDKVno8Cy0KM6LtLXaRnmclbFsQcr7Rl3X7iD9PA_aem_LDiIPTczS31L29KyWwBHhA
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