They said reading books can help build such enlightened people.

The prize giving ceremony was organised by Bisaw Sahitya Kendra (World Literature Centre) at the Institute of Fine Arts of Dhaka University.

Speaking at the inaugural session Bisaw Sahitya Kendra Founder Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed said, "Man needs dream to be a great man and we want to evoke the dreams through the books written by great people."

"When you read books, environment around you also becomes better. It also makes your life full of joys," he said, adding that reading extra-curricular books beside textbooks make people broad-minded.

"When you will become good and honest men, the whole nation will be enlightened," Prof Sayeed, known as the 'maker of the enlightened people', told the students on the first day of the two-day ceremony.

Popular science fiction writer Prof Muhammad Zafar Iqbal said reading textbooks can enable a man to earn, but the greater identity of a man is found in his greatness.

"In the context of present reality today, we badly need great men," he said.

Pointing to hundreds of students, former governor of Bangladesh Bank Lutfar Rahman Sarker said, "It appears that we are walking in a garden and we have innumerable lights in our midst. We must always uphold the lights and multiply those in hundreds."

Singer Bangladesh Limited Managing Director Mahbub Jamil said the nation needs more enlightened people to show lights to the countrymen and lead the country in future.

"What should be the goal of education- earning money or becoming great men? " questioned Real Estate Housing Association of Bangladesh President Engineer Abdul Awal, and then he himself replied, "We should be great men."

Architect Mobashwer Hossain said the students of Bangladesh had achieved many awards, but the award winner students could not work for the country when they became adult.

"The injustice and corruption we are facing today are created by the educated people of the country," he added.

"I believe that the prize winning students will not be the part of those people who contribute to corruption," he said at the ceremony organised in cooperation with the daily Prothom Alo and sponsored by Dejuice of Grameen Phone.

The awards- books- were given to around 4000 students of 61 schools who performed better in the evaluation of Bisaw Sahitya Kendra that conducted the book reading programme for 140000 students last year.

The Kendra has been running the programme for the last 23 years.

Another 1800 students will receive prizes today at 3:00pm.

Delta Life Insurance Limited has provided the books being awarded to the students.

Former advisers to caretaker government Mujibul Haque, Hafizuddin Khan, novelist and Prothom Alo Deputy Editor Anisul Haque were among others to give away the prizes.

Bisaw Sahitya Kendra Trustee Mohammad Fariduddin, drama personality Khairul Alam Sabuj, Grameenphone acting director (Marketing) Ghalib Ahmed Ansari and Delta Life Insurance Company Limited Deputy Managing Director ABM Saiful Masud also spoke at the inaugural function.