Every year, on November 1st, Bulgaria celebrates the Day of the Enlighteners. This public holiday celebrates the work of Bulgarian enlighteners, scribes and revolutionaries – initially those from the time of the Bulgarian Revival, the Liberation and the first decades after it (up to the 1920s), later (somewhat in line with its original idea) its scope was extended to cultural figures and personalities with a significant contribution to the rise and preservation of the nation in general.
In this connection, the Bulgarian National Radio addressed the citizens of Bulgaria with the question “Who is your enlightener of the decade?”, and within a month thousands of people indicated their nominations.
From them, a jury determined the 10 names and causes that marked the last decade with their activities for the enlightenment of Bulgaria. We are glad to announce that among these ten names, this year Prof. Minko Balkanski was also nominated.
This is not his first nomination, however. In 2018 Prof. Balkanski was nominated both by the jury and by the many followers of the Bulgarian National Radio and… he won! An Awakener who touched both the minds and hearts of the thousands who voted for him. Having turned 96 in July this year, he continues to work, and meet with students, colleagues and friends of science.
“I think true happiness is when you give. And because I believe that people are born to be happy, the more you give, the more you get, and the happier you are”, Prof. Balkanski says.
On behalf of the entire team of the Balkanski-Panitza Institute for Advanced Studies, we congratulate all friends of Bulgarian science on the Day of the Enlighteners and wish you light and success on the difficult path of caring for society through education, enlightenment and science.
