Mehdi Hasan Khan, the creator of Avro Keyboard, did not want to take sole credit for his achievement. As a result, he and his three collaborators have been collectively honored with the prestigious Ekushey Padak. This decision was officially announced by Cultural Affairs Advisor Mostofa Sarwar Farooki through a Facebook post on Sunday (February 9).
In his post, Farooki shared, "Today, I can finally talk about this openly. We were aware that Mehdi Hasan Khan was not interested in receiving the award. He had been approached before, but he declined. Despite knowing that he might not accept it, we still went ahead with the announcement from our cabinet. Through this, we wanted to make a statement about the people we choose to celebrate."
He further explained, "When I spoke to him yesterday, he was still hesitant. However, after much discussion, he finally agreed to accept the award—but only on one condition. He did not want to receive the honor alone. Instead, he wanted his three friends, Rifat Nabi, Tanbin Islam Siam, and Shabab Mustafa, who also played significant roles in the development of Avro, to be recognized alongside him."
Farooki also expressed his happiness about the outcome, stating, "We are thrilled to announce that all four of these brilliant individuals, who worked tirelessly to bring Avro to life against many odds, will receive the Ekushey Padak together as a team. They are traveling from different parts of the world to Bangladesh to accept this prestigious award. We can’t wait to welcome them! I truly believe this moment will inspire many young minds to keep pushing forward—no matter the challenges—and to do so as a team. Bangladesh, onwards and upwards!"
