Eminent writer and war heroine Begum Mushtari Shafi will be honoured with this year’s ‘Ananya Sahitya Puroshkar 1424’ (Ananya Literary Award) for her immense contributions to the field of research and literature. The award will be handed over to the recipient at a ceremony on December 2 at the TIC auditorium in Chittagong. This is for the first time that the award ceremony will be held outside Dhaka.

Writer-journalist Abul Momen will attend the ceremony as chief guest, while writer and researcher Maleka Begum will be present as special guest. Presided over by Ananya editor Tasmima Hossain, writer professor Ferdous Ara Alim will attend the ceremony as main discussant.

Born on January 15 in 1938, Begum Mushtari Shafi is the president of Chittagong Udichi Shilpi Gosthi. She is a litterateur, editor, radio personality, women entrepreneur, social activist and above all, she is a brave freedom fighter.

She wrote a number of 20 books, including novel, travel book, memorandum and Liberation War- based books. Besides, many of her writings were not published.

During the Liberation War in 1971, her husband Dr Mohammad Shafi and her younger brother Ehsan were martyred.

In the early 60s, Begum Mushtari Shafi founded the women organisation ‘Bandhobi Sangha’ in Chittagong, and published a regular newspaper ‘Bandhobi’. She also launched a printing press named Meyeder Press conducted by women.

Since 1993, ‘Ananya Sahitya Puroshkar’ has been awarded to eminent women writers for their contributions towards the field of literature. So far, the award has been given to distinguished people like Selina Hossain, Rizia Rahman, Dr Nilima Ibrahim, Dilara Hasem, Rabeya Khatun, Dr Sanjida Khatun, Shaheed Jananai Jahanara Imam, Nurjahan Begum, Razia Khan, Purobi Basu, Anowara Syed Haque, Makbula Manzur, Saleha Chowdhury, Nurjahan Bose, Maleka Begum, Dr Niaz Zaman, Jahanara Nowshin, Sonia Nisat Amin, Kazi Rosy and Begum Akter Kamal.