Dhaka, February 20 (The Daily Time of Bangladesh) – This year’s Ekushey Padak has sparked debate after dancer and educator Arthy Ahmed was named a recipients for her contributions to dance.
The press secretary of the former Interim Government’s chief advisor, Shafiqul Alam, revealed the winners on February 5, including nine individuals and one institution. Arthy Ahmed was recognised in the category of dance.
Arthy Ahmed began learning dance at the age of three and later completed both her honours and master’s degrees in dance from Rabindra Bharati University in India. In 2017, she completed a one-year dance teacher course in Chennai. She subsequently founded the Arthy Ahmed Dance Academy, which promotes learning dance in an environment of joy, compassion and self-respect.
Her initiative, the Adult Beginners Class, challenges the belief that there is an age limit to learning dance. Although the academy was founded in 2018, it was officially registered as a school in 2022 and over 750 students have trained under her guidance.
Despite these achievements, the award to her has met with criticism, particularly from social media and within the dance community. On February 16, a press conference was held under the banner of Dance Artists of Bangladesh, where speakers called for the cancellation of the medal and suggested it be given to another artist.
Dancer and director Farhana Chowdhury Baby read a statement on behalf of the community, questioning Arthy Ahmed’s range of experience and long-term contribution to dance practice and education in Bangladesh.
She added that much of her recognised work, as noted by former cultural advisor Mostafa Sarwar Faruqi, is centred on social service rather than artistic achievement.
Tamanna Rahman, chair of the dance department at Dhaka University, said, “This medal has been given to a person whose age, experience and contribution, if we take all aspects into consideration, do not align with the dignity of Ekushey.”
Speaking to the TIMES of Bangladesh, Arthy Ahmed acknowledged both praise and criticism.
She said, “Along with the criticism, people are also praising me. I have a good acceptance among them because I have worked to bring common people back to dance, giving them joy through this art. Many people are saying that I deserve it.”
She emphasised that she never applied or asked for the accolade.
She added that she was hurt by the criticism but noted that none of those at the press conference addressed her directly.
“They criticised the award process, not me personally. I like to stay behind the scenes. I have never worked for recognition,” she said.
When asked whether he would return the award, Arthy said, “The state medal is a recognition of the state. I cannot disrespect the state by returning it. That would be a huge insult and a political statement. I cannot do that.”
She concluded by pointing out that decisions about the award should be discussed with state officials and cited previous recipients emphasising that “there is no age limit for this medal.”
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