Two people, including Unmad Editor Ahsan Habib, have been conferred with Lifetime Joy Bangla Youth Award for their special contributions to the country.
In the sixth instalment of the event, which celebrates the young champions of social changes, the organizers recognized the contribution of Unmad Editor Ahsan Habib and indigenous writer Younguan Mru over the decades.
Ahsan Habib
Unmad, the longest surviving satire magazine of South Asia with its legacy spanning over four decades, carries a long tradition of catering exceptional satiric contents on political and contemporary issues to readers.
Harnessing the art of subtly protesting against military dictators, the magazine's editor Ahsan Habib incurred the wrath of the military dictator of 1980's. But, Unmad refused to buckle under the political pressure. The magazine, equipped with more than 50 members, organizes workshops for aspiring cartoonists.
He had to face a defamation case of Taka one crore in 1990 during the regime of General Ershad. Unmad's editor Ahasan Habib met him in person to explain that the content didn't mock at the army chief but the system in general. His inexhaustible resource of art and humor gave voice to the voiceless at times of political turnarounds. Recognizing his unwavering commitment to political cartoons and leadership in the arena, Joy Bangla Youth Award conferred the lifetime achievement award on him.
Younguan Mru
Widely credited as a ray of hope in the remote hilly tracts, Younguan Mru immersed himself in writing and research, featuring the first book of Mru community named Totong and writing a book titled Mru Fairy Tales.
CourtesyA man of his community, he still cultivates jhum following his tradition. Younguan also translated Bangabandhu's March 7 speech in his language to spread the knowledge and spirit of the 1971-Liberation War among the youths.
Organized by Young Bangla, the youth secretariat of think tank CRI and the country's biggest network of youths, Joy Bangla Youth Award awarded this year 10 youth-led organizations, selected out of over 600 entries from young changemakers across the country who silently transformed their communities through social initiatives.
In the fifth instalment of Joy Bangla Youth Award in 2021, Professor Nisar Hossain, among others, received the lifetime award for promoting globally Mongol Shova Jatra (loosely translates to "Procession for wellbeing"), which was incorporated on the list of Intangible Heritage by Unesco.