The renowned fortnightly magazine has handed over the 'Ananya Shirsha Dosh Sommanona 2017' on April 7 through a ceremony, which was held at Bangla Academy.
The awardees for the year 2017 include Professor Dr Sadeka Halim (Education), Farzana Chowdhury (Women Entrepreneur), Nabaneeta Chowdhury (Journalism), Shopna Rani (Self-reliant village woman), Nadira Khanam (Transgender rights activist), Mahfuza Akhter Kiron (Sports organizer), Nazia Zabeen (Social work), Sharmeen Sultana Shumi (Music) and Maria Manda (Sports).
Dance crew Nrittonandan and singer Anima Mukti Gomez performed at the event, under the direction of Sharmila Badapaddhyay.
Directed by the editor of Ananya, Tasmima Hossain, celebrated author Selina Hossain was present as a special guest at the award ceremony. Dr Farzana Islam, Vice-chancellor, Jahangirnagar University, was the chief guest of the session. Former Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, Dr Dipu Moni presided over the ceremony.
Expressing her gratitude to the organizers, Dr Sadeka Halim said that the women of the country have made a great progress in education during her speech, while transgender rights activist Nadira Khanam demanded quotas for the third gender people in the national parliament.
“Like every other sport, women are performing great at football too. With a proper nurturing environment and patronization, they will be able to lead Bangladesh to many victories in different sports,” said Mahfuza Akhter Kiron.
Stating the deep seated prejudices and roadblocks against women in Bangladesh, journalist Nabaneeta Chowdhury expressed her confidence in the women of Bangladesh saying, “The truth is, nothing could ever stop them. Women are coming forward despite all the obstacles and earning their rights.”
In her speech, chief guest Dr Farzana Islam praised the magazine for bringing out the stories of women’s excellence in different fields.
Tasmima Hossain concluded the ceremony with an optimistic note. “We are having a hard time selecting the top 10 women of the year. In every aspect, women of this country are making a huge contribution, giving us a hard time selecting the top 10. We are merely honouring a few as their representatives,” she said during her concluding speech.
Thursday, June 04, 2026
