Mehdi Hasan Khan, a warrior of the digital revolution in the Bengali language, is set to receive the Ekushey Padak in the field of Science and Technology. The brilliant programmer and physician, known for developing Avro Keyboard, has made an indelible contribution to simplifying Bengali writing in the digital sphere reportedly.
Born in Dhaka, Mehdi Hasan Khan completed his secondary education at Ideal School and College and pursued higher secondary education at Notre Dame College. Subsequently, he earned his MBBS degree from Mymensingh Medical College.
From an early age, he exhibited a keen interest in software development. In 2003, he created Avro Keyboard, a free and open-source software supporting both Unicode and ANSI for writing in Bengali.
Mehdi Hasan was inspired to develop a user-friendly Bengali writing software after visiting a BIOS exhibition at the 2003 Ekushey Book Fair. This idea eventually materialized into Avro Keyboard.
At that time, there was no suitable software for writing in Bengali using Unicode. Taking matters into his own hands, Mehdi initially developed a prototype using Microsoft’s .NET framework, but it encountered several technical challenges. Eventually, he built a new version based on Classic Visual Basic, which became the ideal solution for Bengali typing.
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On March 26, 2003, Avro Keyboard was released for the first time, and later, on September 15, 2003, it was officially launched under OmicronLab. Notably, the Bangladesh Election Commission also utilized Avro for the development of National ID cards.
Avro Keyboard significantly simplified Bengali typing on computers, making it accessible to individuals as well as government and private institutions. One of the key reasons for its widespread acceptance is its open-source nature and customizable layouts, making it highly user-friendly.
The Avro team included prominent contributors such as Rifat Un Nabi, Siam Rupali Font’s creator Siam, Sarim, India’s Nipon, and Mehdi Hasan’s wife, Sumaiya Nazmun. Their collective efforts helped Avro reach its current prominence.
In 2011, Mehdi Hasan Khan received the BASIS Award for his exceptional contributions to the Information and Communication Technology sector. His recognition with the Ekushey Padak in 2025 is a testament to his relentless dedication and hard work.
Compared to Bijoy Keyboard, Avro has gained more popularity due to its user-friendly interface and open-source accessibility. Unlike Bijoy, which requires a licensed purchase, Avro is free, allowing a broader user base to benefit from its features.
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