Bishwa Shahitto Kendra (BSK) and Grameenphone awarded 1,082 students in Rajshahi in recognition of the caliber that they displayed in the year-long book reading competition.The award ceremony was inaugurated by Sharif Md. Masud, Deputy Secretary and Regional Secretary of BSK today at Rajshahi Education Board Model School and College premises.Approximately 4,000 students from 34 schools in the Rajshahi division participated in BSK’s nationwide book reading programme in 2016. The award giving program was organized in association with Grameenphone to recognize the talent of the deserved participants.The attending guests in the program included renowned novelist and writer Hasan Azizul Haque, former Secretary of the Government of Bangladesh Aminul Islam Bhuiyan, Additional Divisional Commissiner Md. Monir Hossain, prominent media personality Khairul Alam Sabuj, Director of Secondary and Higher Education of the Rajshahi region Dr. Abdul Mannan Sarkar, Organizer of Natore Section of BSK and retired Professor Alok Maitra, Principal of Rajshahi Education Board Model School and College Md. Taifur Rahman, Grameenphone’s Head of Circle Marketing Rajshahi Md. Sohel Mahmud and Deputy Secretary and Regional Director of BSK Sharif Md. Masud.Sharif Md. Masud, Regional Director of BSK thanked the students, guardians, teachers, organizers, and patrons for assisiting in the successful organization of the book reading program throughout the year. He expressed optimism on the further expansion of BSK’s activities in the days ahead.Grameenphone’s Head of Circle Marketing Rajshahi Md. Sohel Mahmud said, Dark will exist no more in the world if we read books. Life is full of challenges. And challenges will be easy to overcome if we have knowledge. Books are the basic soruce of knowledge. We have also an website named http://www.alorpathshala.org where all the readers can visit and read their desire books. He thanks Bishwa Sahitya Kendra for conducting such a nice initiative all over the country for a long time.BSK has been conducting the nationwide book reading program in nearly 2,000 educational institutions across Bangladesh. Approximately 200,000 students from those institutions have availed the opportunity to read books in those institutions. Till now, around 18,000 students have been awarded in recognition of their talents. Outside the five divisions, students are awarded in institution-based events.