An award-winning writer, whose work was made into a film by Mrinal Sen, has been working as a casual employee at the Bangla Akademi for 13 years.

Afsar Ahmed has penned 27 novels and 14 non-fiction and children’s books. He has received Katha Award for a short story, Sarat Sahitya Purashkar for lifetime achievement and a Sahitya Akademi award for translation of a novel from Urdu to Bengali. His novel Bibir Mitthye Talaq O Talaquer Bibi Ebong Halud Pakhir Kissa, was in the school curriculum in Assam