This year, Mehdi Hasan Khan was nominated for the Ekushey Padak in the category of Science and Technology.
He is widely regarded as the architect of the Avro Keyboard. However, Mehdi expressed reluctance to accept the award alone. Upon contacting him, Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki learned that three of his friends had also contributed significantly to the development of Avro Keyboard.
Mehdi insisted that if the Ekushey Padak was to be awarded, they too must be recognized.
As a result, on Thursday, Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus presented the Ekushey Padak to Mehdi Hasan Khan and his three friends—Rifat Nabi, Tanbin Islam Siam, and Shabab Mustafa.
Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary, Shafiqul Alam, confirmed the news by posting a photo of the award ceremony.
In his post, he wrote, "Today, Thursday, the creators of Avro Keyboard, Mehdi Hasan Khan and his friends, have been honored with the nation's second-highest civilian award, the Ekushey Padak."
Earlier, Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki shared on his verified Facebook account, "Now that the event is over, I can openly say—we knew that Mehdi Hasan Khan was reluctant to accept the award. He had been approached before, but he declined. Despite knowing this, our cabinet still decided to announce his award to send a clear message about who we choose to celebrate."
Confirming Mehdi Hasan’s acceptance, the adviser added, "He did not want to take sole credit for Avro Keyboard. He insisted that his three friends—Rifat Nabi, Tanbin Islam Siam, and Shabab Mustafa—who played crucial roles in Avro's development, should be honored alongside him. We are delighted to announce that these four brilliant individuals, who dared to go against the tide, have been awarded the Ekushey Padak as a team for their contribution to Avro."
Farooki also mentioned that all four contributors to Avro Keyboard traveled from different parts of the world to Bangladesh to receive this prestigious award.
