In memory of renowned lyricist Masud Karim, a new award has been introduced at a ceremony held at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy yesterday. Masud Karim Memorial Foundation has honoured a total of 33 distinguished cultural personalities for their achievement in various different arenas. The recipients of the award includes a singer, a composer, a lyricist, a writer and a filmmaker, among others. The awards were given for the years 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Tarana Halim, the State Minister for Post and Telecommunications Division, graced the ceremony as the chief guest and handed over crest to the awardees. Mobarak Hossain Khan, ex-director general of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, was present on the occasion as the special guest.
Masud Karim, a recipient of Bangladesh National Film Awards, a popular lyricist from the 1960s till the 2000s, wrote more than 1,500 songs for 300 films. Karim made his debut with the mythological film Roopban (1965). The film had nearly 30 songs, all written by Karim, sung by Ferdousi Rahman. The film was a commercial success. The songs included “Shono Shono Daima Go,” “Shono Tejal,” “Baro Diner Shishu Rahim Go” and “Merona Meron,” all of which still receives airplay. He wrote the lyrics for “Ei Duniya Ekhon To Aar” for the film Dui Poisar Alta (1981), a song composed by Alauddin Ali and sung by Mitali Mukherjee. Karim won the National Film Award for Best Lyrics in 1982 for this song.