SYED ABDUL HADI

I want to express my heartiest gratitude for this honour, and more importantly, I feel blessed to have received so much love from everyone. I would say that understanding the celebration of life has brought human beings from the stone age to the modern age. We never know how far it might take us in the future. If we do not know how to celebrate life, then there is no point in living. I prefer not to address this award as the end of my career. Instead, I am happy that this accolade is honouring my contribution to the society, people and country, and this will inspire me to make more music, like I have been doing for the past sixty years. Receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from renowned organisations like Standard Chartered Bank and The Daily Star is a huge accomplishment for me and another addition to my tally of triumphs over life.

SARAH KABORI

I would like to thank everyone present today to mark this auspicious occasion of Celebrating Life 2019. I am grateful to Standard Chartered Bank and The Daily Star for honouring me with this Lifetime Achievement Award, and for arranging such a remarkable event. This event is similar to a reunion for me as I got to see many of my old friends from the industry after a long time. I will forever keep this honour embedded deep in my heart. I praise the documentary makers for their spectacular work on the videos they made about the Lifetime Achievement winners. I would like to thank the organisers for considering me for this great honour. Cultural development is just as important as economic growth, and I congratulate this initiative in recognising that.

SYED JAMIL AHMED

I have been involved with the theatre since 1974. I have achieved unimaginable heights throughout my career. Today, however, being in front of so many gifted individuals and sharing my honour with two other such cultural personalities, it feels surreal. I would like to thank the Standard Chartered Bank and The Daily Star for giving me this opportunity. I feel privileged for receiving such a prestigious award. This award will only inspire me to make more and better plays in the future. I aim to make those plays very thought-provoking. I want the audience to truly grasp the essence of the story and theatre in Bangladesh. I hope that everyone will support me in carrying this through in the future. Even though I am ecstatic to receive this award, at this moment, what makes me happier is that my mother is in the audience to see me receive this honour, and share my happiness.