Interview

Sadia Mahjabin Imam

Sadia Mahjabin Imam, 33, journalist, writer and photographer, is the first winner of �Exim Bank-Anyadin Humayun Ahmed Literary Award 2015� in the under-35 category. She received the award in November for her collection of short stories, published between January and December 2014. The Weekend Independent talked to Sadia recently about her work and inspirations.

Please tell us something about your prize-winning book. What made you to write it?

The name of my book is ‘Pa’, published by Ananya at the 2014 Ekushey Book Fair. It contains 15 stories that were published in various newspapers. The stories are about the lives of very ordinary people. There are many secrets in a very simple life, or an ordinary man can be extraordinary _ are the themes of my stories. Three of the stories are about communalism.
I was born in a remote village in Faridpur and grew up in a small town. Then, I came to Dhaka to attend university. I studied Peace and Conflict Studied at Dhaka University; I did my MPhil dissertation on communal riots and mass media in 20th century Indian Subcontinent.
Writing is a kind of communication. It’s a way to exchange thoughts with others around me on how I see life and society. The society we live in and social responsibility are the main inspirations of my writings.  
When did you start writing?  

In 1994, when I was an adolescent myself, I wrote poems for children in a newspaper. I started writing stories regularly from 2010.

What do you do for a living?

 I work in the news and current affairs department of ATN Bangla. My main job is to collect news and edit to make a news report.  

You are a very good photographer, too. Do you prefer writing or photography?

Photography is actually my hobby. Writing is not only my passion, it is a necessity for me. I can only express my feelings properly through writing. Though I don’t write much, I must write!

Nowadays, we hear people don’t read books. What inspires you to keep on writing?

I won’t say that people’s reading habit is gone. The way people read has changed. Now, we are not bound to reading books with a cover. People read books on the net, tabs or (electronic) notebooks.  
But it’s true that people don’t like reading lengthy texts or difficult words. Older people tend to go for known names; they are reluctant to read young writers. Young people on the other hand, avoid serious works or books that are not on their exam syllabus. But those who love reading, they do read, otherwise, why are so many publication houses coming up or the Bangla Academy book fair has to expand its space every year?
I won’t say I write only out of social responsibility. I like to write. I can also communicate and be known through my writings, so I write.
Please say something about yourself, your hopes for the future, etc.

As a person, I am nothing that much. I don’t have much personal plans, besides my work. As I did research on communal riots, that’s my main field of work. I also want to reflect that in my stories time after time. Still, a person always has some thoughts _ I want to see a non-communal Bangladesh. In our country, there are two types of fanatic people, religious and progressive. Both are equally harmful for a society. Then, I also see many people who try to find a balance between the two. Even if one of my words helps to make some one non-communal, that would be  recognition for my work.

Interview

Sadia Mahjabin Imam

Sadia Mahjabin Imam, 33, journalist, writer and photographer, is the first winner of �Exim Bank-Anyadin Humayun Ahmed Literary Award 2015� in the under-35 category. She received the award in November for her collection of short stories, published between January and December 2014. The Weekend Independent talked to Sadia recently about her work and inspirations.

Please tell us something about your prize-winning book. What made you to write it? The name of my book is Pa, published by Ananya at the 2014 Ekushey Book Fair. It contains 15 stories that were published in various newspapers. The stories are about the lives of very ordinary people. There are many secrets in a very simple life, or an ordinary man can be extraordinary _ are the themes of my stories. Three of the stories are about communalism. I was born in a remote village in Faridpur and grew up in a small town. Then, I came to Dhaka to attend university. I studied Peace and Conflict Studied at Dhaka University; I did my MPhil dissertation on communal riots and mass media in 20th century Indian Subcontinent. Writing is a kind of communication. Its a way to exchange thoughts with others around me on how I see life and society. The society we live in and social responsibility are the main inspirations of my writings. When did you start writing? In 1994, when I was an adolescent myself, I wrote poems for children in a newspaper. I started writing stories regularly from 2010. What do you do for a living? I work in the news and current affairs department of ATN Bangla. My main job is to collect news and edit to make a news report. You are a very good photographer, too. Do you prefer writing or photography? Photography is actually my hobby. Writing is not only my passion, it is a necessity for me. I can only express my feelings properly through writing. Though I dont write much, I must write! Nowadays, we hear people dont read books. What inspires you to keep on writing? I wont say that peoples reading habit is gone. The way people read has changed. Now, we are not bound to reading books with a cover. People read books on the net, tabs or (electronic) notebooks. But its true that people dont like reading lengthy texts or difficult words. Older people tend to go for known names; they are reluctant to read young writers. Young people on the other hand, avoid serious works or books that are not on their exam syllabus. But those who love reading, they do read, otherwise, why are so many publication houses coming up or the Bangla Academy book fair has to expand its space every year? I wont say I write only out of social responsibility. I like to write. I can also communicate and be known through my writings, so I write. Please say something about yourself, your hopes for the future, etc. As a person, I am nothing that much. I dont have much personal plans, besides my work. As I did research on communal riots, thats my main field of work. I also want to reflect that in my stories time after time. Still, a person always has some thoughts _ I want to see a non-communal Bangladesh. In our country, there are two types of fanatic people, religious and progressive. Both are equally harmful for a society. Then, I also see many people who try to find a balance between the two. Even if one of my words helps to make some one non-communal, that would be recognition for my work.