Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki. -File Photo

DHAKA, Feb3, 2025 (BSS) – The traditional group photo session of Ekushey Padak awardees will be dropped this year while works are underway to devise a more dignified way to mark the awarding ceremony, Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki said today.

“The ministry, after discussion, reached to decision that the traditional practice of group photo sessions would be dropped from this year's Ekushey Padak ceremony,” a statement of the ministry quoted him as saying.

The advisor said the incumbent government was moving towards reforms and modernization and so scopes were there to rethink about any traditional practice.

He said so far no objection or reservation was raised about the practice but the issue was being discussed since February 2 among different quarters.

Under the traditional practice the award recipients take part in a photo session with the head of the government or the authorities of Bangla Academy, which confers the award every year.

The adviser said the decision to discard the photo session was taken on Sunday at a meeting of the ministry which was now working to organise the ceremony in a more respectful manner, maintaining the dignity of the awardees.