Dhaka Correspondent:

Jagrat Sahitya Parishad Bangladesh, an organization working for the development of Bengali language, literature, culture and human values, has officially announced the central committee for the 2026-2027 term. For the first time in the history of the organization, a one-year central committee has been formed so that organizational activities can be made more dynamic and fruitful by implementing the prescribed work plan.

Shihab Rifat Alam, founder of the organization, said that through the new committee, not only an organizational structure is being established, but also the foundation of a far-reaching national literary movement centered on Bengali language, literature, culture and human values. He said that one of the main goals of the organization will be to highlight talented poets, writers, writers and researchers spread across the remote areas of the country at the national level.

The newly formed central committee includes Nasreen Khan as president, Z. I. Mustafa (former Head of Department, Psychology Department, Ibrahim Khan Government College, Bhuiyanpur, Tangail) has been elected as Secretary General and poet Nurul Haque Master has been elected as Senior Vice President.

Sheikh Khabir Uddin, poet M. Majurul Alam, poet Reena Pandit, poet Ramendra Halder, poet Robaiya Gulshan Ara, Devdas Halder, Abdul Hamid Sarkar, poet Shahnaz Sharmin Munu, Baul poet Belal, Elora Suma, Nandini Louisa and Hasina Sultana have been elected as Vice Presidents.

Besides, Farhana Rahman Mishti has been elected as the Organizing Secretary, Pawan Kumar Saha (Kolkata) as the International Affairs Secretary, Maryam Rahman as the Communications Secretary, Imran Hosan as the Publicity Secretary, Kamrul Hasan as the Activities Secretary of ‘Ek Palaker Kobita’, Poet Farhad Hossain Sikder as the Social Welfare Secretary and Nusrat Jahan as the Publication Secretary. Chand Sultana and Md. Mofidul Islam Sarkar have been elected as the Executive Members. According to the organization sources, three more members will be added to the Central Committee later.

According to the organization’s work plan, each Vice President of the Central Committee will form at least one Organizing Committee in their respective districts. Through these committees, initiatives will be taken to find high-quality poets, writers, authors and researchers at the field level and introduce them at the national level.

The vision declared by Jagrata Sahitya Parishad Bangladesh states that equal importance will be given to creating new writers as well as creating readers. To this end, there are plans to conduct regular literary workshops, creative writing training, literary criticism, editing training, recitation programs, literary festivals, reading cycles, book reading movements, e-books, audiobooks, literary podcasts, digital magazines and international literary exchange programs.

In addition, plans have been taken to organize publications on Bengali language, literature, folk culture, history and research, honors for veteran writers, support for indigent writers, scholarships for young writers, literary fellowships and international standard organizational activities.

Founder Shihab Rifat Alam said, “Our dream is to build a strong national literary movement. Our goal is to create an environment for literary practice in every district and upazila of the country, create opportunities for the development of new writers and establish Bengali literature more strongly in the international arena. We see dreams as very big; if we can implement even five percent of it, we will consider ourselves successful.”

The organization’s motto is “Awakening in the pen, wisdom in reading, Bangladesh rich in literature.” The leaders of the newly formed central committee have expressed their determination to work together for the development of literary practice, human values, and a knowledge-based, enlightened Bangladesh.

President Nasrin Khan said, "The activities of Jagrata Sahitya Parishad will be carried out all over Bangladesh. Because poets from all districts to remote areas should get equal rights and should not be neglected or despised by anyone. Jagrata Sahitya Parishad believes that it is the responsibility of an organization to honor a good poet or writer, wherever he may be, find him and introduce him to everyone in the literary world with his skills. Those who pick up their pen out of love for literature do not benefit financially. It is the fruit of the pull of the heart and love. Let us create our own position in that love, this is our commitment.