The 13th edition of the “Gorbini Maa-2026” award ceremony was held in Dhaka on Sunday, May 10, marking World Mother’s Day, observed across the globe including Bangladesh.

The event, organized by Universal Medical College Hospital, took place at the RAOWA Convention Centre in Mohakhali. At the beginning of the program, a one-minute silence was observed in memory of Begum Jebunnesa, mother of the Chief Guest Social Welfare Minister, and late Gorbini Maa Falguny Kundu.

The Chief Guest, Professor Dr. A. Z. M. Zahid Hossain, MP, Minister for Social Welfare and Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, highlighted the lifelong sacrifices of mothers. He said a mother is both a child’s first school and the final refuge in life’s most difficult moments, emphasizing the importance of honoring mothers with respect and care throughout their lives. He also praised the hospital authority for combining healthcare services with such social initiatives and urged continuity of the program.

The event was presided over by Preeti Chakrabortty, Chairman of Universal Medical College Hospital and Senior Vice President of BCI. The welcome speech was delivered by Dr. Ashish Kumar Chakrabortty, Managing Director of the hospital and chief initiator of the “Gorbini Maa” award.

Special guest Engineer Ashraf Uddin Bakul, MP for Narsingdi-5 (Raipura), also attended the ceremony.

As part of the tribute, children of the honorees shared emotional reflections about their mothers. The organizers noted that the initiative was launched in 2014 in support of the recovery of the chairman and managing director’s mothers. Initially, five mothers were honored, with the first ceremony attended by renowned academician and National Professor Dr. Anisuzzaman.

This year, the 13th edition recognized 11 distinguished “Gorbini Maa” across various professional categories, honoring mothers of prominent individuals in administration, judiciary, law enforcement, education, journalism, medicine, engineering, music, and acting.

Among the honorees were mothers of senior government officials, judges, police officials, university professors, journalists, physicians, architects, artists, actors, and scholars.

Each honoree received a crest, medal, wooden photo frame, gift items, and a complimentary master health check-up package. Students and interns from Universal Medical College and Universal Nursing College presented the awards, including the ceremonial shawls.

It was also noted that no posthumous awards are given under this recognition program.

The ceremony was anchored by news presenter Bipasha Majumdar, while CF Zaman, Head of Brand at the hospital, served as chief coordinator of the “Gorbini Maa-2026” program.

The “Gorbini Maa” initiative remains a signature social program of Universal Medical College Hospital, aimed at honoring motherhood and celebrating maternal contributions to society.