We rejoice in his honour and we revel in the glory that it has brought to the nation in general and to the journalist community in particular. It has come at such a time when there are concerted efforts by some of the very powerful ministers of the government to denigrate the press.

Matiur Rahman has to be congratulated for not only winning the very prestigious award, but also for his generous and extraordinary gesture of donating the entire amount of the prize money, no small amount by any definition, for the benefit of those whose lot he strove to improve.

Along with Matiur Rahman, congratulations are in order for all those that are associated with him in his venture, in particular the members of his team in the paper and his family, but for whose help it might not have been possible to achieve what he has.

Matiur has given a new meaning to the notion of social responsibility. His achievement underscores his demonstrated leadership, not only in highlighting and projecting, through the pages of his paper, the many social maladies that afflict us, but also going even further and taking on the responsibility of providing succor and ameliorating the sufferings of the victims of these social ills. He has set an example, worth emulating, of the admirable use of the media to do something tangible and of long-term consequence to the society.

There is a lot that we can learn from the lead that he has given in undertaking constructive role in the society.

We all wish Matiur Rahman more success not only in his professional career but also in the social work that he is involved in.