The Bangla Academy (, ) is the official regulatory body of the Bengali language in Bangladesh. It is an autonomous institution funded by the government of Bangladesh that fosters the Bengali language, literature and culture, works to develop and implement national language policy and conducts original research in Bengali. Established in 1955, it is located in the Burdwan House in Shahbagh, Dhaka, on the grounds of the University of Dhaka and Suhrawardy Udyan. The Bangla Academy hosts the annual Ekushey Book Fair.

History

thumb|right|[[Moder Gorob, depicting the language movement martyrs, is one of the features of Bangla Academy.]]

The importance of establishing an organisation for Bengali language was first emphasised by the linguist Muhammad Shahidullah. Later, following the Language movement, on 27 April 1952, the All Party National Language Committee decided to demand the establishment of an organisation for the promotion of Bengali language. During the 1954 parliamentary elections, the United Front's 21-point manifesto stated that, "The prime minister from the United Front will dedicate the Bardhaman House, also known as Burdwan House, for establishing a research center for the Bengali language". The building was the official residence of the Chief Minister of East Pakistan, Nurul Amin during the Language movement and part of the University of Dhaka before that. Following the election success of the Front, the education minister Syed Azizul Haque placed the order to fulfill this promise.

In 1955, the government formed a committee to expedite the process. The committee was composed of leading intellectuals like Muhammad Shahidullah, Qazi Motahar Hossain, S.M. Bhattacharya, W. H. Shadani, and Muhammad Barkatullah. On 3 December 1955, the Chief Minister of East Bengal, Abu Hussain Sarkar, inaugurated the institute.

In 1957, an act of the parliament formally established the funding source and the Government support for the institute.

After the independence of Bangladesh, the director's position was renamed Director General.

On 19 September 2008, a new 8-storey building, containing a 500-capacity auditorium and a 100-capacity seminar room, opened next to the main building.

Structure

The functions and structure of the institute were devised on the model of the French Academy. "The Academy has misused a lot of funds in producing useless books, books that are unoriginal," opines Salimullah Khan. Khan is of the opinion that the academy is short on original publications long on dross.

Bangla Academy Literary Award

Rabindra Award

This award is the recognition of research of Rabindra literature and lifelong pursuit of Rabindra music since 2010.

  • 2010 – Kalim Sharafi and Sanjida Khatun
  • 2011 – Ahmed Rafiq and Ajit Roy
  • 2012 – Anisur Rahman, Fahmida Khatun and Iffat Ara Dewan
  • 2013 – Karunamaya Goswami and Papia Sarwar
  • 2014 – Manzoore Mawla and Rezwana Chowdhury Bannya
  • 2015 – Sanat Kumar Saha and Sadi Mohammad
  • 2016 – Syed Akram Hossain and Tapan Mahmud
  • 2017 – Hayat Mamud and Mita Haque
  • 2018 – Abul Momen and Fahim Hossain Chowdhury
  • 2019 – Safiuddin Ahmed, Begum Akhtar Kamal, and Iqbal Ahmed
  • 2020 – Sadhan Ghosh
  • 2021 – Atiur Rahman
  • 2022 – Siddika Mahmuda
  • 2023 – Sheela Momen
  • 2024 – Bhishmadev Chowdhury and Laisa Ahmed

Mazharul Islam Poetry Award

This award is conferred to the Bangladeshi poets since 2010.

S'adat Ali Akhand Literature Award

This is a literature award commemorating the writer S'adat Ali Akhand.