Arts, culture, and Literature

Abdul Hakim was born in 1620 on the island of sandwip off the coast of Noakhali. He was son of Shah Razzaque.

Apart from Bangla, Abdul Hakim knew Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit and thus had access to Persian texts as well as Sanskrit classics like ramayana, mahabharata, etc. His writings include Yusuf-Zulekha, Nurnama, Durre Majlish, Lalmoti Saifulmulk and Hanifar Ladai. Yusuf Zulekha is a translation of the Persian romance Yusuf Wa Zulekha (1483 AD). Nurnama and Durre Majlish, a book of moral instructions, are also translations from the Persian.

Abdul Hakim's original writings in Bangla include Lalmoti Saifulmulk and Hanifar Ladai. Lalmoti Saifulmulk, a romance, was published towards the end of the nineteenth century and immediately gained wide popularity. The manuscript of Hanifar Ladai is, unfortunately, incomplete.

Hakim's most famous work perhaps is Nurnama (Story of Light), a depiction of the life of prophet Muhammad in lyrical Bengali. This work can be considered as an important step in creating a Bengali Muslim identity.

However, what Nurnama is arguably more well known for is Hakim's great patriotism and specially his love for the Bengali language. In medieval ages, Persian and Arabic tended to be court languages all over the South Asia and perceived by some as the language to do literary work in.

Hakim's reaction to this varies from philosophical to outright outraged:

"The Lord understands and loves all languages
... those who hate Bangla aften being born in Bengal I cannot tell who gave birth to them
... if one is not happy with his own language Why doesn't he leave Bengal and go somewhere else"

He died in 1690.

Abdul Hakim's Works:

Nurnama ( নূরনামা), Yusuf Zulekha (ইউসুফ জোলেখা), Lalmoti (লালমতি), Saifulmulk (সয়ফুলমুলুক), Shihabuddinnama (শিহাবুদ্দিননামা), Nasihatnama (নসীহতনামা), Karbala (কারবালা) and Shahornama (শহরনামা).
Abdul Hakim (Bengali: আব্দুল হাকিম)was a medieval Bengali poet.
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Mohammad Abul Kashem (Bengali: মোহাম্মদ আবুল কাশেম, widely known as Principal Abul Kashem, 28 June 1920 – 11 March 1991) is generally considered as a pioneer and the architect of the historic Language Movement of Bangladesh. He was also a politician, author and an eminent educationist.^[1][2] He founded the Islamic-oriented Bengali cultural organisation Tamaddun Majlish.

Contents

• 1 Early life
• 2 Involvement in Language Movement
• 3 Career
• 4 List of works
  • 4.1 Bengali
  • 4.2 English
• 5 References
• 6 External links

Early life

Principal Abul Kashem was born on 28 June 1920 at a village Cheebandy-Barama under Chandanaish Upazila of district of Chittagong.^[3] In 1939, Principal Abul Kashem obtained his Matriculation Examination from Boroma Trahi Menka High School with first class and Government district scholarship. He passed Isc from Chittagong government College in 1941 with first class. From Dhaka University, he obtained Bachelors of Science (honors) in Physics in 1944 and Masters of Science degree in Physics in 1945. He acquired his Master's thesis under the supervisor of the famous mathematician and physicist Satyendra Nath Bose^[2][4]

Involvement in Language Movement

Principal Abul Kashem, 1952,Taken during Bengali Language Movement.

Principal Abul Kashem was associated with the literary and cultural activities of Bangladesh for five decades. He contributed in the movement for recognition of Bengali as one of the state languages of Pakistan soon after the independence of Pakistan in 1947. On 1 September 1947 he founded the Pakistan Tamaddun Majlish as a non-political cultural organisation to mobilise students, intellectuals and the people in general for the Bengali language. On 15 September 1947 he published a booklet entitled, Pakistaner Rashtra Bhasha: Bangla Na Urdu? (Pakistan's state language: Bengali or Urdu?) demanding introduction of Bengali as one of the state language of whole Pakistan.^[5] This booklet also strongly advocated for Bengali as the medium of education, court language and for its use in the offices in East Pakistan. Also his untiring efforts let to the formation of the first Rashtrabhasa Sangram Parishad (State Language Committee of Action) on 1 October 1947 with Nurul Huq Bhuiyan as the convener and he himself as the treasurer. On 6 December 1947, a meeting was held under the president-ship of Principal Abul Kashem in Dhaka University campus which protested the resolution of the education week held in Karachi suggesting Urdu as the state language and the lingua franca of Pakistan. A protest procession was brought out from the meeting, which met Khawaja Nazimuddin, the provincial Chief Minister, and other ministers. Khawaja Nazimuddin gave a written assurance to the Action Committee that he would do the needful to introduce Bengali as one of the state language of Pakistan. Principal Abul Kashem actively participated in organising a countrywide strike on 11 March 1948, to press for the language demand. As the outcome of the strike, on the eve of the impending visit of Mohammad Ali Jinnah (the founder of Pakistan) to Dhaka, the then Provincial Government had no other alternative but to sign an agreement with the action committee on 15 March 1948 for introducing Bengali as one of the state language of Pakistan.^[2][4]

Career

Principal Abul Kashem began his career as a lecturer in the Physics department at the Dhaka University in 1946. As a lecturer, he was the first person who delivered lectures in the Bengali at the Dhaka University. He held his lecturer position until 1953.^[6]
Principal Abul Kashem was actively associated with politics. He was co-founders of the Khilafat-e-Rabbani Party in 1952. He was a member of the provincial assembly as a United Front nominee in 1954 from the Patia-Boalkhali constituency in Chittagong.^[7] While a member of the Legislative Assembly, he moved a resolution for introduction of Bengali as the medium of education at all levels. On 30 September 1956, he proposed Bengali as the state-language and it was approved unanimously and thus, Bengali received constitutional recognition as one of the State language of Pakistan.^[2] He founded the weekly Sainik in 1948, which acted as a mouth piece of historic Language Movement.
He felt the need of introducing Bengali as medium of higher education in colleges and universities. With his dream, he established the Bangla College at Mirpur, Dhaka in 1962 and served the college as Principal till 1981. He was the forerunner in introducing textbooks in Bengali for higher education and contributed much in initiating the Bengali version of the question papers for higher education.^[6]

Principal Abul Kashem, 1987, After receiving Ekushey Padak.

Principal Abul Kashem receive a number of national and social awards which includes Independence Day Award in 1993, Ekushey Padak in 1987, Bangla Academy Award (for his book Biggan Somaj O Dhormo) in 1982, Islamic foundation Award in 1988, Pakistan Writers guild award in 1964 etc. He was accorded a national reception in Dhaka in 1989 which was attended by eminent scholars and litterateurs of Bangladesh and India. In 2007, Dhaka City Corporation named the former Darussalam Road of Mirpur 1 as Bhasha Sainik Principal Abul Kashem Road for his contribution to historic Language Movement.^[8]
Principal Abul Kashem died at the Suhrawardy Hospital in Dhaka, Monday, 11 March 1991.

List of works

A prolific writer, Principal Abul Kashem authored nearly 100 books including textbooks on science for postgraduate student and on education, Islam, culture and politics. These include 40 textbooks on physics and other science subjects for college and University levels. Some of his well-known books are-

Bengali

Islam
* ইসলাম কি দিয়েছে ও কি দিতে পারে	Islam Ki Diyeche O Ki Dite Pare	1952
* বুঝে নামাজ পড়	Buje Namaz Poro	1968
* ইসলামের রাষ্ট্রী্য় আদর্শ	Islamer Rashtio Adorsho	1980
* ইসলামী মেনিফেস্টো	Islami Manifesto	1952
* একমাত্র পথ	Akmatro Path	1949
* ঘোষনা	Ghoshona	1952
Islam & Science
* আধুনিক চিন্তাধারা	Oadunik Chintadhara	1968
* বিজ্ঞান বস্তুবাদ ও আল্লাহর অস্তিত্ব	Biggan Bostubadh O Allahor Ostitto	1968
* বিবর্তনবাদ সৃষ্টিতত্ত্ব ও আল্লাহর অস্তিত্ব	Bibortonbadh Sristitotto O Allahor Ostitto	1969
* বিজ্ঞান সমাজ ধর্ম	Biggan Shomaz Dhormo	1982
Economics
* কোরানিক অর্থনীতি	Quranic Orthoniti	1971
* পাকিস্তানের অর্থনীতি	Pakistaner Orthoniti	1965
International Politics
*তৃতীয় ব্লক আন্দোলন	Tritio Block Andolon	1952
History
*পাকিস্তানের রাষ্ট্রভাষা: বাংলা না উর্দু?	Pakistan er Rastrobhasha Bangla Na Urdu?	1947
*ভাষা আন্দোলনের ইতিহাস	Bhasha Andoloner Ithihash	1952
*আমাদের অতীত	Oamader Otit	1957
Bangla College Related
* বাংলা কলেজের চাকরীর নিয়মাবলী	Bangla Colleger Chakurir Niomaboli	1968
* বাংলা কলেজ প্রসঙ্গে	Bangla College Prosonge	1968 (2nd Edition)
* বাংলা কলেজ কি, কেন, এবং কিরুপ	Bangla College Ki, Keno, Abong Kirup	1962
* ঈর্ষা বনাম সাধনা	Irsha Bonab Shadona	1965
* বাংলা কলেজের অগ্রগতি ও ভবিষ্যৎ	Bangla Colleger Ogrogoti O Bhobishat	1964
Others
* শাসনতান্ত্রিক মুলনীতি	Oadunik Chintadhara	1968
* বৈজ্ঞানিক দৃষ্টিতে শ্রেণীসংগ্রাম	Boiganik Dhristite Srenisongram	1952
* মুক্তি কোন পথে	Mukti kon Pothe	1952
* ইসলামী রাষ্টনীতি	Islami rastroneeti	1967
* আমাদের ভাষার রুপ	Amader Bhashar Rhup	1962
* বাংলা প্রচলনের কয়েকটি সমস্যা	Bnagla Procholoner Koyekti Somosha	1967
* অফিস-আদালত ও শিক্ষার বাহনরুপে বাংলা প্রচলনের সমস্যা	office-Adaloter O Shikkhar Bahonrupe Bangla Procholoner Somosha	Unknown
* সহজ বাংলা	Shohoj Bangla	1974
* একুশ দফার রুপায়ন	Ekush daffer Rupaon	1953
* কৃষক ভাইয়ের জমি চাই	Krishok Bhaiyer Jomi Chai	Unknown
* শ্রমিক ভাইয়ের জমি চাই	Sromik Bhaiyer Jomi Chai	Unknown
* দুইটি প্রশ্ন	Duti Prosno	1955
* ভুলের পুনরাবৃত্তি	Bhuler Punorabritti	1953
* রাষ্টবিজ্ঞান	Rastrobiggan	1964
* সংগঠন	Songothon	1952
* আধুনিক কারবার পদ্ধতি	Adunik Karbar Poddoti	1966
* ছাত্র আন্দোলন	Chatro Andolon	1951
* প্রবন্ধ মঞ্জুষা	Probondho Monzusa	1989
Textbooks
* উচ্চমাধ্যমিক পদার্থিকা, ১ম খন্ড	Ucchomaddomik Podarthika 1st part	1964
* উচ্চমাধ্যমিক পদার্থিকা, ২য় খন্ড	Ucchomaddomik Podarthika 2nd part	1964
* উচ্চমাধ্যমিক ল্যাবরেটরী পদার্থিকা	Ucchomaddomik Laboratory Podarthika	1964
* উচ্চমাধ্যমিক রসায়ন, ১ম খন্ড (অজৈব)	Ucchomaddomik Rosayan, 1st part	1965
* উচ্চমাধ্যমিক রসায়ন, ২য় খন্ড (জৈব)	Ucchomaddomik Rosayan, 2nd part	1965
* উচ্চমাধ্যমিক ল্যাবরেটরী রসায়ন	Ucchomaddomik Laboratory Rosayan	1964
* উচ্চমাধ্যমিক এলজেব্রা	Ucchomaddomik Algebra	1964
* উচ্চমাধ্যমিক ক্যালকুলাস	Ucchomaddomik Calculus	1966
* উচ্চমাধ্যমিক জ্যামিতি	Ucchomaddomik Geometry	1964
* উচ্চমাধ্যমিক ডিনামিক্স	Ucchomaddomik Dynamics	1968
* উচ্চমাধ্যমিক ত্রিকোনমিতি	Ucchomaddomik Trigonometry	1964
* উচ্চমাধ্যমিক স্টেটিস্ক	Ucchomaddomik Statics	1967
* বিজ্ঞান প্রকাশ (৭ম ও ৮ম শ্রেণীর)	Bhiggan Prokash (for 7th and 8th grade)	1949
* বিজ্ঞান প্রকাশ (৯ম ও ১০ম শ্রেণীর)	Bhiggan Prokash (for 9th and 10th grade)	1949
* মাধ্যমিক ত্রিকোনমিতি	Maddomik Trigonometry	1964
* ডিগ্রি পদার্থিকা	Degree Padarthika	1971
* সহজ পদার্থিকা, ১ম খন্ড	Shohoj Padarthika, 1st Part	1974
* সহজ পদার্থিকা, ২য় খন্ড	Shohoj Padarthika, 2nd part	1974
* সহজ রসায়ন, ১ম খন্ড	Shohoj Rosaya, 1st part	1962
* সহজ রসায়ন, ২য় খন্ড	Shohoj Rosayan, 2nd part,	1962
* ল্যাবরেটরী রসায়ন (৯ম ও ১০ম শ্রেণীর)	Laboratory Roshayan (9th and 10th grade)	1975
* ল্যাবরেটরী পদার্থবিজ্ঞান (৯ম ও ১০ম শ্রেণীর)	Laboratory Podarthobiggan (9th and 10th grade)	1975
* ল্যাবরেটরী জীববিজ্ঞান (৯ম ও ১০ম শ্রেণীর)	Laboratory Jibobiggan (9th and 10th grade)	1975

English

Islam & Science
* Islam Science & Modern Thoughts	1975
* Universal Ideology in the Light of Modern Thought	Unknown
Textbooks
* Degree Physics	1970
* General Properties of Matter	1955
* New Physics (1st part)	1955, 6th Edition 1966
* New Physics (2nd part)	1956, 6th Edition 1966
* Inter Physics Tutor part 1	1955
* Inter Physics Tutor part 2	1955
* Laboratory Physics	3rd Edition 1970

Ahmed Sofa (Bengali: আহমদ ছফা) was a well-known Bangladeshi poet, novelist, writer, critic, translator and intellectual. He wrote novels, poetry and non-fiction essays. He also translated the writings of others. Ahmed Sofa was renowned for his intellectual righteousness as well as his holistic approach to the understanding of social dynamics and international politics.

Sofa helped establishing Bangladesh Lekhak Shibir (Bangladesh Writers' Camp) in 1970 to "organise liberal writers in order to further the cause of the progressive movement".

Biography

Born at Gachbaria in Chittagong district, Sofa's career as a writer began in the 1960s. He never married. On 28 July 2001, Ahmed Sofa died in a hospital in Dhaka. He was buried in Martyred Intellectuals' Graveyard.

Philosophical Views

Ahmed Sofa's outspoken personality and bold self-expression brought him into the limelight. At the same time, he was very affectionate towards the younger generation, who gathered around him. He was never seen hankering after fame in a trivial sense. He was a secular thinker.

Published Works

Sofa's fictions were often based on his personal experience. He protested social injustice and tried to portray the hopes and dreams of common people through his writing. Sofa always handled his novels with meticulous thought and planning. The trend of telling mere stories in novels never attracted him; he was innovative in both form and content.

Surya Tumi Sathi (The Sun the Companion) was Sofa's first novel, written in 1964 and 1965, and published in 1967. The next novel, Onkar (The Om), which was received favorably in Bangladesh, was written in 1972 and published in 1975. In 1994, Sofa published a different type of novel, Alat Chakra (The Circle of Fire) which was actually written ten years earlier. In 1988, Sofa wrote two novels: Aali Kenan, published that year; and Maran Bilash (Luxury in Death), published in 1989. His later novels are Gaavi Bittanto (Tale of a Cow, 1994), Ardhek Nari Ardhek Ishwari (Half Man Half Woman, 1996), and Pushpa Briksha Ebong Bihanga Puran (A Tale of Flowers, Plants and Birds, 1996). Along with these eight novels, Sofa is the author of hundreds of lyrics, poems, short stories, essays, and columns. There were two long gaps in his writing career: the first was from 1973 to 1983, and the second from 1989 to 1994.

Sofa’s novels are generally small in size. Even the longer ones, like Alat Chakra, Gaavi Bittanto and Surya Tumi Sathi, are only 129, 110 and 93 pages long, respectively.

Comparisons

In Surya Tumi Sathi the story is narrated in a third person narrative, a technique he pursued in his later novels Aali Kenan, Maran Bilash and Gaavi Bittanto. In his other novels, Onkar and Alat Chakra, he used a first person narrative technique.

Except for Alat Chakra, Sofa's novels are written objectively. It is as if the author observes everything of his story—the characters and the incidents—from a distant place.

Non-literary Works

Sofa's essays mostly revolved around Bengali Muslims. He wrote about their history, society, and politics. He was critical of politics and culture.

Ahmed Sofa's Works:

Novels

1967: Surya Tumi Sathi (Sun, You Are My Companion)
1975: Uddhar (Rescue)
1989: Ekjan Ali Kenaner Utthan Patan (The Rise and Fall of one Ali Kenan)
1990: Alatachakra (A Circle of Fire)
1993: Onkar (The Chest-note)
1994: Gabhibrttanta (Accounts of Cows)
1996: Ardhek Nari Ardhek Ishvari (Half Woman and Half Goddess)
1996: Puspabrksa O Bihangapurana (Flower Tree and the Accounts Of Birds)
1996: Dinga Binga Burgan (Alarms, Bells, and Whistles)

Short Stories

1969: Nihata Naksatra (Murdered Star)

Poetry

Jallad Samay (Time, the Executioner)
Ekti Prabin Bater Kachhe Prarthana (A Prayer To An Old Banyan Tree)
Lenin Ghumobe Ebar (Lenin Will Now Sleep)

Non-fiction Prose

1973: Buddhibrttir Natun Binyas (New Exercise Of Intellect)
1976: Bangali Musalmaner Man (The Mind of the Bengali Muslims)
Sipahi Yuddher Itihas (History of the Sepoy Movement)
1993: Ahamad Chaphar Prabandha (Essays of Ahmed Sofa)
Yadyapi Amar Guru (Although He Is My Teacher)
2008: Ahmed Sofa-r Chithi (Letters of Ahmed Sofa), Khan Brothers and Co.  Ahmed Sofa (Bengali: আহমদ ছফা) was a well-known Bangladeshi poet, novelist, writer, critic, translator and intellectual. He wrote novels, poetry and non-fiction essays. He also translated the writings of others. Ahmed Sofa was renowned for his intellectual righteousness as well as his holistic approach to the understanding of social dynamics and international politics.

Sofa helped establishing Bangladesh Lekhak Shibir (Bangladesh Writers' Camp) in 1970 to "organise liberal writers in order to further the cause of the progressive movement".

Biography

Born at Gachbaria in Chittagong district, Sofa's career as a writer began in the 1960s. He never married. On 28 July 2001, Ahmed Sofa died in a hospital in Dhaka. He was buried in Martyred Intellectuals' Graveyard.

Philosophical Views

Ahmed Sofa's outspoken personality and bold self-expression brought him into the limelight. At the same time, he was very affectionate towards the younger generation, who gathered around him. He was never seen hankering after fame in a trivial sense. He was a secular thinker.

Published Works

Sofa's fictions were often based on his personal experience. He protested social injustice and tried to portray the hopes and dreams of common people through his writing. Sofa always handled his novels with meticulous thought and planning. The trend of telling mere stories in novels never attracted him; he was innovative in both form and content.

Surya Tumi Sathi (The Sun the Companion) was Sofa's first novel, written in 1964 and 1965, and published in 1967. The next novel, Onkar (The Om), which was received favorably in Bangladesh, was written in 1972 and published in 1975. In 1994, Sofa published a different type of novel, Alat Chakra (The Circle of Fire) which was actually written ten years earlier. In 1988, Sofa wrote two novels: Aali Kenan, published that year; and Maran Bilash (Luxury in Death), published in 1989. His later novels are Gaavi Bittanto (Tale of a Cow, 1994), Ardhek Nari Ardhek Ishwari (Half Man Half Woman, 1996), and Pushpa Briksha Ebong Bihanga Puran (A Tale of Flowers, Plants and Birds, 1996). Along with these eight novels, Sofa is the author of hundreds of lyrics, poems, short stories, essays, and columns. There were two long gaps in his writing career: the first was from 1973 to 1983, and the second from 1989 to 1994.

Sofa’s novels are generally small in size. Even the longer ones, like Alat Chakra, Gaavi Bittanto and Surya Tumi Sathi, are only 129, 110 and 93 pages long, respectively.

Comparisons

In Surya Tumi Sathi the story is narrated in a third person narrative, a technique he pursued in his later novels Aali Kenan, Maran Bilash and Gaavi Bittanto. In his other novels, Onkar and Alat Chakra, he used a first person narrative technique.

Except for Alat Chakra, Sofa's novels are written objectively. It is as if the author observes everything of his story—the characters and the incidents—from a distant place.

Non-literary Works

Sofa's essays mostly revolved around Bengali Muslims. He wrote about their history, society, and politics. He was critical of politics and culture.

Ahmed Sofa's Works:

Novels

1967: Surya Tumi Sathi (Sun, You Are My Companion)
1975: Uddhar (Rescue)
1989: Ekjan Ali Kenaner Utthan Patan (The Rise and Fall of one Ali Kenan)
1990: Alatachakra (A Circle of Fire)
1993: Onkar (The Chest-note)
1994: Gabhibrttanta (Accounts of Cows)
1996: Ardhek Nari Ardhek Ishvari (Half Woman and Half Goddess)
1996: Puspabrksa O Bihangapurana (Flower Tree and the Accounts Of Birds)
1996: Dinga Binga Burgan (Alarms, Bells, and Whistles)

Short Stories

1969: Nihata Naksatra (Murdered Star)

Poetry

Jallad Samay (Time, the Executioner)
Ekti Prabin Bater Kachhe Prarthana (A Prayer To An Old Banyan Tree)
Lenin Ghumobe Ebar (Lenin Will Now Sleep)

Non-fiction Prose

1973: Buddhibrttir Natun Binyas (New Exercise Of Intellect)
1976: Bangali Musalmaner Man (The Mind of the Bengali Muslims)
Sipahi Yuddher Itihas (History of the Sepoy Movement)
1993: Ahamad Chaphar Prabandha (Essays of Ahmed Sofa)
Yadyapi Amar Guru (Although He Is My Teacher)
2008: Ahmed Sofa-r Chithi (Letters of Ahmed Sofa), Khan Brothers and Co.

Ahmed Sofa (Bengali: আহমদ ছফা) was a well-known Bangladeshi poet, novelist, writer, critic, translator and intellectual. He wrote novels, poetry and non-fiction essays. He also translated the writings of others. Ahmed Sofa was renowned for his intellectual righteousness as well as his holistic approach to the understanding of social dynamics and international politics.

Sofa helped establishing Bangladesh Lekhak Shibir (Bangladesh Writers' Camp) in 1970 to "organise liberal writers in order to further the cause of the progressive movement".

Biography

Born at Gachbaria in Chittagong district, Sofa's career as a writer began in the 1960s. He never married. On 28 July 2001, Ahmed Sofa died in a hospital in Dhaka. He was buried in Martyred Intellectuals' Graveyard.

Philosophical Views

Ahmed Sofa's outspoken personality and bold self-expression brought him into the limelight. At the same time, he was very affectionate towards the younger generation, who gathered around him. He was never seen hankering after fame in a trivial sense. He was a secular thinker.

Published Works

Sofa's fictions were often based on his personal experience. He protested social injustice and tried to portray the hopes and dreams of common people through his writing. Sofa always handled his novels with meticulous thought and planning. The trend of telling mere stories in novels never attracted him; he was innovative in both form and content.

Surya Tumi Sathi (The Sun the Companion) was Sofa's first novel, written in 1964 and 1965, and published in 1967. The next novel, Onkar (The Om), which was received favorably in Bangladesh, was written in 1972 and published in 1975. In 1994, Sofa published a different type of novel, Alat Chakra (The Circle of Fire) which was actually written ten years earlier. In 1988, Sofa wrote two novels: Aali Kenan, published that year; and Maran Bilash (Luxury in Death), published in 1989. His later novels are Gaavi Bittanto (Tale of a Cow, 1994), Ardhek Nari Ardhek Ishwari (Half Man Half Woman, 1996), and Pushpa Briksha Ebong Bihanga Puran (A Tale of Flowers, Plants and Birds, 1996). Along with these eight novels, Sofa is the author of hundreds of lyrics, poems, short stories, essays, and columns. There were two long gaps in his writing career: the first was from 1973 to 1983, and the second from 1989 to 1994.

Sofa’s novels are generally small in size. Even the longer ones, like Alat Chakra, Gaavi Bittanto and Surya Tumi Sathi, are only 129, 110 and 93 pages long, respectively.

Comparisons

In Surya Tumi Sathi the story is narrated in a third person narrative, a technique he pursued in his later novels Aali Kenan, Maran Bilash and Gaavi Bittanto. In his other novels, Onkar and Alat Chakra, he used a first person narrative technique.

Except for Alat Chakra, Sofa's novels are written objectively. It is as if the author observes everything of his story—the characters and the incidents—from a distant place.

Non-literary Works

Sofa's essays mostly revolved around Bengali Muslims. He wrote about their history, society, and politics. He was critical of politics and culture.

Ahmed Sofa's Works:

Novels

1967: Surya Tumi Sathi (Sun, You Are My Companion)
1975: Uddhar (Rescue)
1989: Ekjan Ali Kenaner Utthan Patan (The Rise and Fall of one Ali Kenan)
1990: Alatachakra (A Circle of Fire)
1993: Onkar (The Chest-note)
1994: Gabhibrttanta (Accounts of Cows)
1996: Ardhek Nari Ardhek Ishvari (Half Woman and Half Goddess)
1996: Puspabrksa O Bihangapurana (Flower Tree and the Accounts Of Birds)
1996: Dinga Binga Burgan (Alarms, Bells, and Whistles)

Short Stories

1969: Nihata Naksatra (Murdered Star)

Poetry

Jallad Samay (Time, the Executioner)
Ekti Prabin Bater Kachhe Prarthana (A Prayer To An Old Banyan Tree)
Lenin Ghumobe Ebar (Lenin Will Now Sleep)

Non-fiction Prose

1973: Buddhibrttir Natun Binyas (New Exercise Of Intellect)
1976: Bangali Musalmaner Man (The Mind of the Bengali Muslims)
Sipahi Yuddher Itihas (History of the Sepoy Movement)
1993: Ahamad Chaphar Prabandha (Essays of Ahmed Sofa)
Yadyapi Amar Guru (Although He Is My Teacher)
2008: Ahmed Sofa-r Chithi (Letters of Ahmed Sofa), Khan Brothers and Co.  

 

Akhteruzzaman Elias আখতারুজ্জামান ইলিয়াস
Born	February 16, 1943 Gotia, Gaibandha District, British Raj (now Bangladesh)
Died	January 4, 1997 (aged 53)
Occupation	novelist, short story writer
Nationality	Bangladeshi
Education	Master of Arts
Alma mater	University of Dhaka
Notable works	Khoabnama, Chilekothar Sepai
Notable awards	Bangla Academy Award (1983) Ekushey Padak (1999)

Akhteruzzaman Elias (Bengali: আখতারুজ্জামান ইলিয়াস; February 16, 1943 - January 4, 1997), born in Gaibandha District, was a Bangladeshi novelist and short story writer.^[1] Though he wrote only two novels, critics place Elias in the pantheon of great Bengali novelists.

Contents

• 1 Early life and education
• 2 Career
• 3 Novels
• 4 Short story collections
• 5 Essay collections
• 6 Awards
• 7 References
• 8 External links

Early life and education

Elias was born at his maternal uncle's home in Gotia village in Gaibandha District.^[1] His paternal home was in Chelopara, near Bogra. His father, Badiuzzaman Muhammad Elias, was a member of the East Bengal Provincial Assembly and Parliamentary Secretary of the Muslim League.^[1]
Elias completed his Matriculation from Bogra Zilla School in 1958, Intermediate from Dhaka College in 1960, and BA (Hons) and MA from the University of Dhaka in 1964.

Career

Elias started his career as a lecturer at Jagannath College and worked there till 1983.^[1] He also worked subsequently as Deputy Director, Directorate of Primary Education, Vice-Principal of Music College, and Professor and Head of the Department of Bangla at Dhaka College.^[1]

Novels

• Chilekothar Sepai (The Soldier in the Attic) (1987) - details the psychological journey of a man during the turbulent period just prior to Bangladeshi independence in 1971. This novel also contains what is arguably the most authentic description of life in Puran Dhaka, the old and distinctive part of Dhaka.

• Khoabnama (Tale of Dreams) (1996) - Khoabnama depicts the socio-political scene in rural pre-partition Bangladesh.

Short story collections

• Dojokher Om (The Warmth of Hell)
• Dudhbhate Utpat (No Peace in Milk and Rice)
• Onno Ghore Onno Shor (Another Tune in Another Room)
• Khoari (Hangover)
• Jal Shopno, Shopner Jal

Essay collections

• Shongskritir bhanga shetu (Broken Bridge of Culture)

Awards

• 1977 : Humayun Kabir Smrti Puraskar
• 1983 : Bangla Academy Award in Literature
• 1987 : Alaol Sahitya Puraskar - Chilekothar Sepai
• 1996 : Ananda Puraskar - Khwabnama
• 1996 : Saadat Ali Akhand Puraskar - Khwabnama
• 1996 : Kazi Mahbubullah Gold Medal - Khwabnama
• 1999 : Ekushey Padak (posthumous)

Alaol (Bengali: আলাওল) was one of the greatest poets of medieval bangla literature.

Birth and Education

He was probably born in 1607 in Jalalpur village in Fatwabad Pargana of faridpur district. His father was a minister of Majlis Kutub, the ruler of Fatwabad. Alaol learnt Bangla, Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian. He was also acquainted with the arts of war and music.

One day while Alaol and his father were going to Chittagong by boat, they were attacked by Portuguese pirates. His father was killed in the encounter. The wounded Alaol was taken to Arakan as prisoner. In Arakan he first worked as an ashwar (bodyguard), but was later employed in teaching music and drama.

Later Life

His fame as a poet spread and the Prime Minister, magan thakur, secured him a place in the court of Arakan. Alaol was also patronised by a number of other important courtiers such as Syed Musa (Royal Minister), Solaiman (Chief Minister), Mohammad Khan (Minister of Army), and Majlis Nabaraj (Minister of Taxation).

In 1659 shah shuja sought asylum in Arakan, but was killed along with his family. Alaol was accused of having had links with Shah Shuja and was imprisoned for fifty days. He dropped out of royal favour and for several years suffered extreme financial hardship. Towards the end of his life, Masud Shah, his spiritual master, gave him the title of 'Quaderi Khilafat'.

Alaol was the most prolific medieval Bangla writer. His writings include Ragtalnama, padmavati (1648), Satimayana-Lor-Chandrani (1659), Saptapaykar (1665), Saifulmuluk Badiuzzamal (1669), and Sikandarnama (1673). Ragtalnama, his earliest piece of writing, is on music and is his only original writing apart from his songs. His other works are all translations; for example, Padmavati, considered to be his masterpiece, was based on the Hindi Padmavat by Malik Mohammad Jayasi, Saptapaykar and Sikandarnama on the Persian Haft Paykar and Sikandarnama by Nizami Ganjavi, and Tohfa on the Persian Tuhuf-e-Nasaih by Yusuf. Saifulmuluk Badiuzzamal was also based on a Persian text. While most of these works are in the nature of romances and tales, Tohfa is a didactic book.

Alaol's poems possess an urbanity and a sensibility reflective of court culture. He is called the 'Panditkavi' as his poems are a mixture of emotion and intellect.

Syed Alaol's Works:

Padmavati, Satimayana-Lor-Chandrani (completion of Doulat Kazi's work), Saifulmuluk Badiuzzamal, Dara-Sekandarnama, Tohfa (1660), Saptapaykar, Ragtalnama.

Mir Abdus Shukur Al Mahmud commonly known as Al Mahmud is a Bangladeshi Poet, novelist, short-story writer. He is considered as one of the greatest Bengali poets emerged in 20th century. His work in Bengali poetry is dominated by his copious use of regional dialects. In 1950s he was among those Bengali poets who were outspoken by writing about the events of Bengali Language Movement, nationalism, political and economical repression and struggle against West Pakistan Government.

Early Life and Career

He was born in Morail Village, Brahmanbaria District, Bangladesh. Mahmud started his career as a journalist. He came into recognition after Lok Lokantor was published in 1963. In succession, he wrote Kaler Kalosh (1966), Sonali Kabin (1966) and Mayabi Porda Dule Otho (1976). In addition to writing poetry, he has written short stories, novels and essays such as Pankourir Rakta and Upamohadesh. He took part in the Liberation War of Bangladesh as a freedom fighter in 1971. After the war, he joined The Daily Ganakantha as the assistant editor. He was jailed for a year during the era of Awami League government. Later, Al Mahmud joined Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in 1975 and retired in 1993 as director of the academy.

Literary Works

Al Mahmud is one of the most important poets in Bengali literature. In his early youth he entered Dhaka city having a broken suitcase under his armpit, from which, like a magician, he showed us all the rivers of Bangladesh. The conscious readers of poetry have watched his magic spellbound and become his fan. Al Mahmud is one of those new poets who have contributed a lot to the progress of modern Bengali poetry. He is a very popular poet in Bangladesh. He has innumerable admirers at home and abroad. But it is a matter of sorrow that very few of his poems have been translated into English, for which the non-Bengali readers are yet deprived of having the taste of his poetry.

A good number of poetry books of Al Mahmud have been published. Lok Lokantor, Kaler Kolos, Sonali Kabin, Mayabi Porda Duley Otho, Adristabadider annabanna, Bokhtiarer Ghora, Arabya Rojonir Rajhas, MithyabadRakhal,Doel o Doyita etc are remarkable ones. But the book which has been accepted by the Bengali poetryreaders as a classic piece is his Sonali Kabin. The Golden Kabin is an English version of this very 8book.`Kabin' means a matrimonial contract in Bengali Muslim society. Al Mahmud has picked up this very word ever-known to all but never allowed in poetry and used so successfully that it has got a symbolic meaning and has drawn the attention of scholars, both in Bangladesh and West Bengal.

Al Mahmud entered into the realm of poetry following the paths of Jasimuddin and Gibananando Das, his two preceding poets. Jasimuddin uniquely depicted the picture of rustic Bengal in his poems. People of the agro-based Bengali Muslim society first got their identity in literature. Their sorrow, sufferings, poverty, hunger and love, depicted vividly in his poems, attracted not only the Bengali educated society but also the whole world. Unlike Jasimuddin, Gibananando Das depicted the scenic and the spiritual beauty of Bangladesh. Another difference between them is that Jasimuddin followed the language of rustic people in poetry, whereas Gibananando Das was very sophosticated in using poetic dictions. Walking the paths of his two great forerunners, Al Mahmud had to struggle a lot to 9find out his own identity. At last he reached his goal; his distinction as a poet became obvious, in his third book the Sonali Kabin.

Philosopher Sibnarayan Ray commented:

“Al Mahmud has an extraordinary gift for telescopic discrete levels of experience; in his poems I find a marvelous fusion and wit which reminds me occasionally of Bishnu Dey. The complete secularism of his approach is also striking…he was born and brought up in a very conservative Muslim religious family; it is not a secularism forced by some ideology, but present naturally and ubiquitously in his metaphors, images and themes. ”

Awards

Ekushey Padak, 1987; The highest literature award of Bangladesh
Bangla Academy Award, 1968
Chattagram Sangskriti Kendro Farrukh Memorial Award,1995
Kabi Jasim Uddin Award
Philips Literary Award
Alakta Literary Award
Sufi Motaher Hossain Literary Gold Meda

Al Mahmud's Works:

Lok Lokantor (1963)
Kaler Kalos (1966)
Shonali Kabin (1966)
Mayabi Porda Dule Otho (1976)
Arobbo Rojonir Rajhash (The Goose of Arabian Nights)
Bokhtiyarer Ghora (The Horse of Bakhtiyar)
Dinjapon (Passing Days)
Ditiyo Bhangon (Second Collapse)
Ekti Pakhi Lej Jhola
Golpshomogro
Jebhabe Gore Uthi
Kishor Shomogro
Kobir Atmobisshash (The Confidence of Poet)
Kobita Somogro- 1, 2
Pankourir Rakta (1975) (Blood of Bird)
Na Kono Shunnota Mani Na
Nodir Bhitorer Nodi (River Inside River)
Pakhir Kache, Phooler Kache (To Birds, To Flowers)
Prem O Bhalobashar Kobita (Poems of Love and Romance)
Prem Prokritir Droho Ar Prarthonar Kobita (Poems of Love and Prayer)
Premer Kobita Somogro
Upomohadesh (The Continent)
Upanyas Somogro- 1, 2, 3
Trishera

Roquia Sakhawat Hussain
Born	Roquia Khatun 9 December 1880 Rangpur, Bengal Presidency, British Indian Empire (modern Bangladesh)
Died	9 December 1932 (aged 52) Kolkata
Occupation	Social worker, writer, Muslim feminist
Nationality	Bangladeshi
Ethnicity	Bengali

Begum Roquia Sakhawat Hussain, (9 December 1880 – 9 December 1932), popularly known as Begum Rokeya , was a leading feminist writer and social worker in undivided Bengal during the early 20th century. She is most famous for her efforts on behalf of gender equality and other social issues.^[1][2] She established the first school aimed primarily at Muslim girls, which still exists today. She was a notable Muslim feminist; modern feminist writers such as Taslima Nasrin cite her as an influence.^[3] Begum Rokeya also wrote short stories and novels. Her important works are Sultana's Dream and Padmarag.

Contents

• 1 Names
• 2 Life
• 3 Gender equality
• 4 Works
• 5 References
• 6 External links

Names

She was born Roquia Khatun but achieved prominence as Begum Roquia Sakhawat Hussain after marriage, after her husbands name: Sakhawat Hussain. Begum is an honorific, that is, a title of respect in addressing Muslim women. When she wrote in English, she transliterated her name as Roquia.

Life

Birth Place of Begum Roquia in Pairabondh, Rangpur

Roquia Khatun was born in 1880 in the village of Pairabondh, Mithapukur, Rangpur, present Bangladesh, in what was then the British Indian Empire. Her father, Jahiruddin Muhammad Abu Ali Haidar Saber, was a highly educated zamindar (landlord). Roquia had two sisters, Karimunnesa Khatun and Humayra Khatun; and three brothers, one of whom died in childhood. Roquia's eldest brother Ibrahim, and her immediate elder sister Karimunnesa, both had great influence on her life. Karimunnesa wanted to study Bengali, the language of the majority in Bengal. The family disliked this because many upper class Muslims of the time preferred to use Arabic and Persian as the media of education, instead of their native language, Bengali. Ibrahim taught English and Bengali to Roquia and Karimunnesa; both sisters became authors.
Karimunnesa married at the age of fourteen, later earning a reputation as a poet. Both of her sons, Nawab Abdul Karim Gaznawi and Nawab Abdul Halim Gaznawi, became famous in the political arena and occupied ministerial portfolios under British authorities.
Roquia married at the age of sixteen in 1896. Her Urdu-speaking husband, Khan Bahadur Sakhawat Hussain, was the Deputy Magistrate of Bhagalpur, which is now a district under the Indian state of Bihar. He continued her brother's work by encouraging her to keep learning Bengali and English. He also suggested that she write, and on his advice she adopted Bengali as the principal language for her literary works because it was the language of the masses. She launched her literary career in 1902 with a Bengali essay entitled Pipasa (Thirst).
In 1909, Sakhawat Hussain died. He had encouraged his wife to set aside money to start a school primarily for Muslim women. Five months after his death, Roquia established a high school in her beloved husband's memory, naming it Sakhawat Memorial Girls' High School.^[4] It started in Bhagalpur, a traditionally Urdu-speaking area, with only five students. A dispute with her husband's family over property forced Roquia to move the school in 1911 to Calcutta (now known as Kolkata), a Bengali-speaking area.^[4] It remains one of the city's most popular schools for girls and is now run by the state government of West Bengal.

Statue of Begum Rokeya on the premises of Rokeya Hall, University of Dhaka

Begum Roquia also founded the Anjuman e Khawateen e Islam (Islamic Women's Association), which was active in holding debates and conferences regarding the status of women and education. She advocated reform, particularly for women, and believed that parochialism and excessive conservatism were principally responsible for the relatively slow development of Muslims in British India. As such, she is one of the first Islamic feminists. She was inspired by the traditional Islamic learning as enunciated in the Qur'an, and believed that modern Islam had been distorted or corrupted; her organisation Anjuman e Khawateen e Islam organised many events for social reforms based on the original teachings of Islam that, according to her, were lost.
Begum Roquia remained busy with the school, the association, and her writings for the rest of her life. She died of heart problems on 9 December 1932. In Bangladesh, 9 December is celebrated as Rokeya Day.

Gender equality

This section requires expansion. (January 2007)

Statue of Begum Roquia in Begum Rokeya Memorial Centre, Pairabondh, Rangpur

Begum Roquia was an inspiring figure who contributed much to the struggle to liberate women from the bondage of social malaises. Her life can be seen in the context of other social reformers within what was then India. To raise popular consciousness, especially among women, she wrote a number of articles, stories and novels, mostly in Bengali.
Begum Roquia used humour, irony, and satire to focus attention on the injustices faced by Bengali-speaking Muslim women. She criticised oppressive social customs forced upon women that were based upon a corrupted version of Islam, asserting that women fulfilling their potential as human beings could best display the glory of Lord.
Begum Roquia wrote courageously against restrictions on women to promote their emancipation, which, she believed, would come about by breaking the gender division of labour. She rejected discrimination for women in the public arena and believed that discrimination would cease only when women were able to undertake whatever profession they chose. In 1926, Begum Roquia strongly condemned men for withholding education from women in the name of religion as she addressed the Bengal women's education conference:

The opponents of the female education say that women will be unruly ... fie! They call themselves muslims and yet go against the basic tenet of islam which gives equal right to education. If men are not led astray once educated, why should women?

Works

Library resources about Roquia Sakhawat Hussain
Resources in your library Resources in other libraries
By Roquia Sakhawat Hussain
Online books Resources in your library Resources in other libraries

• Pipasha ("Thirst", 1902).
• Motichur (essays, 1st vol 1904, 2nd Vol. 1922). The second volume of Matichur includes stories and fairy tales such as Saurajagat (The Solar System), Delicia Hatya (translation of the Murder of Delicia, by Mary Corelli), Jvan-phal (The Fruit of Knowledge), Nari-Sristi (Creation of Women), Nurse Nelly, Mukti-phal (The Fruit of Emancipation), etc.
• Sultana's Dream, (satire, 1908) a notable early work of feminist science fiction involving a utopian male/female role-reversal. It is a satirical piece, a feminist utopia, set in a place called Lady Land, a world ruled by women. Later translated as Sultanar Swopno.^[5][6]
• Saogat (1918, poetry). Her poem titled ‘Saogat’ was published on the first page of the first issue of the Saogat in Agrahayan.
• Padmarag ("Essence of the Lotus", novel, 1924). A feminist utopia.
• Oborodhbashini ("The Secluded Women", 1931)
• Boligarto (short story).
• Narir Adhikar ("The Rights of Women"), an unfinished essay for the Islamic Women's Association
• God Gives, Man Robs, 1927, republished in God gives, man robs and other writings, Dhaka, Narigrantha Prabartana, 2002
• Education Ideals for the Modern Indian Girl, 1931, republished in Rokeya Rachanabali, Abdul Quadir (editor), Dhaka, Bangla Academy, 2006

Begum Rokeya wrote in a number of genres, short stories, poems, essays, novels and satirical writings, developing a distinctive literary style, characterised by creativity, logic and a wry sense of humour. She started writing in the Nabanoor from about 1903, under the name of Mrs. RS Hossain. However, there is an opinion that her first published writing Pipasha appeared in the Nabaprabha in 1902. She wrote regularly for the Saogat, Mohammadi, Nabaprabha, Mahila, Bharatmahila, Al-Eslam, Nawroz, Mahe-Nao, Bangiya Mussalman Sahitya Patrika, The Mussalman, Indian Ladies Magazine, etc. Her writings called upon women to protest against injustices and break the social barriers that discriminated against them.

 

Bibi Russell
Born	Chittagong, Bangladesh
Alma mater	London College of Fashion
Occupation	Entrepreneur, fashion designer, model
Height	5ft 10in[1]
Parents	Mokhlessur Rahman Shamsunnahar Rahman

Bibi Russell is a Bangladeshi fashion designer and former international model.

Contents

• 1 Career
• 2 Fashion shows
• 3 Awards
• 4 References
• 5 External links

Career

Bibi was born in Chittagong, Bangladesh to Mokhlessur Rahman and Shamsun Nahar. She grew up in Dhaka studying in Kamrunnessa Govt. Girls' High School. Later she earned a graduate degree in fashion from London College of Fashion in 1975. In the next five years, she worked as a model for different magazines including Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Harper's Bazaar.^[1] She also worked as a fashion model in fashion shows until 1994, working with Yves Saint Laurent, Kenzo, Karl Lagerfeld and Giorgio Armani.^[1] Having returned to Bangladesh in 1994, Bibi opened Bibi Productions, a fashion house, fusing indigenous Bengali cultural elements into her line. As of 2004, her company employed 35,000 weavers in rural Bangladesh.^[1]

Fashion shows

With assistance from UNESCO, Bibi organized her first European fashion show in Paris in 1996. She also organized fashion show, The Colours of Bangladesh, in Spain in 1997.^[2]

Awards

Bibi was rewarded Cross of Officer of the Order of Queen Isabella by the King of Spain.^[2] It was presented by Spanish Ambassador to Bangladesh, Arturo Perez Martinez. Bibi is also a Fellow of Bangla Academy.^[2] The Asiaweek magazine highlighted her as "One of the 20 people to watch in the Millennium". She was awarded the Honorary Fellowship of the London Institute in 1999. UNESCO awarded her the title Designer for Development in 1999. She also got the title of Artist for Peace by the UNESCO in 2001 and the Peace Prize by the United Nations Associations of Spain in 2004.^[3]

Biography of Hason Raja

Early Life

Hason Raja was the son of Dewan Ali Raja, who was a direct descendant of the Hindu king Raja Birendraram Singhdev (later converted to Islam and became known as Raja Babu Khan). Ali Raja’s fifth and last marriage in 1853 was with Hurmuth Jahan Bibi who was the mother of Dewan Hason Raja. Dewan Hason Raja Choudhury was born on 21 December 1854 in the village of Lakkansree, the part of which is now part of Sunamgonj Municipal town under Sylhet division. Since his childhood he used to live alongside his mother in Sunamganj when mother Humuth Jahan Bibi found her only one son to have had been overprotected within the net of her people serving her land-lordship. While Hason Raja was at the age of six/seven, his father Dewan Ali Raja started living away from his son and wife by staying at Rampasha of Bishwanath (to its southeast angle) 33 miles away from Sunamganj for seven to eight months a year in the aim to supervise and manage his paternal properties and the rest three to four months he used to live alongside them. The death of Hason's elder step-brother, Ubeydur Raja, followed by the death of his father Ali Raja (in about 40 days gap), put the power and responsibility of the whole family upon Hason at a very young age. This put a beginning to his religious pursuits and the life of an "Ascetic King".

Youth Life

Despite his financially privileged upbringing, Hason is credited with setting up a number of local schools and religious centres like mosques, temples and churches, and he is said to be widely engaged in charities within his immediate communities. Dewan Hason Raja donated a vast land properties for the well-being of the people. Hason Raja was more interested about well-being and protection of birds and animals life. So he spent a lot of his money in those lives. On 12 June 1897 one of the biggest earthquake happened to shake up Assam and Sylhet area. The largest known Indian interpolate earthquake at 8.8 Richter scale resulted in the destructions of structure over much of the Plateau and surrounding areas, and caused widespread liquefaction and flooding in the Brahmaputra and Sylhet floodplains. Hason Raja found out many of his kins and relatives as well as his people wounded and killed. His thatched house was fully damaged. At his age of forty three he lost many of his tamed birds and animals. The earthquake left a big impact on his mind, life, philosophy and his music. This made him looking at the short length of his life-time into a deeper realization.

“They say my home is no good
What home shall I make in the void?
In a better dwelling how long could I stay?
Into mirror I look my hair turned grey.
thus Hason Raja sets up no house and door
Rather cries of where Allah keeps him in lure
If Hason Raja been aware of where he would be living
He would make nice castle and building”

Death

Hason Raja died in 1922, years before his contribution to the poetry of Bengal was mentioned in lectures at Oxford University by Nobel poet laureate Rabindranath Tagore 1930.

Two museums were established in his name in two places. One namely, Hason Raja Museum sponsored by "Hason Raja Museum Trust" at his birthpalce Lahhansree, Sunamganj displays a good number of his memorabilia to visitors on daily basis and another namely, Museum of Rajas' at Raja - Kunjo, Sylhet, Bangladesh; where many historical exhibits of Hason Raja, are displayed. The sponsor of this spectacular Museum of Rajas' is 'Educationist Dewan Talibur Raja Trust'.

In Art

Exploring his Brahma, the person, the man, Tagore happened to come across with Hason Raja in his writing and got astonished by the vastness of his thought. He translated in the following lines:

‘The sky and the earth are born of mine own eyes,
The hardness and softness,
the cold and the heat are the products
of mine own body,
The sweet smell and the bad are of my own nostrils.’

This poet sings of the Eternal Person within him, coming out and appearing before his eyes, just as the Vedic Rishi speaks of the Person, who is in him, dwelling also in the heart of the sun:

‘I have seen the vision,
the vision of mine own revealing itself,
coming out from within me’. ” (R Tagore 1930: 114,115)

Hason's poetry reflects his spiritual pursuits and the ever-changing nature of the world. Poet Rabindranath was overwhelmed with the depth of Hason Raja’s thought, the insight, the supreme truth and the ultimate goal.

Tagore found that individual in Hason Raja by saying that “The concrete form is a more perfect manifestation than the atom, and man is more perfect as a man than where he vanishes in an original indefiniteness. This is why the Ishopanishat says : "Truth is both finite and infinite at the same time, it moves and yet moves not, it is in the distant, also in the near, it is within all objects and without them." (R Tagore 1930: 115, 116)

In Popular Culture

It was reported, that the shootings another Bengali film "Hason Raja" for the second time, directed by Ruhul Amin has already started in 2008. Hason Raja is portrayed by an Indian actor, Mithun Chakraborty.
Hason Raja (Bengali: হাসন রাজা, literary meaning - Hason the King), also known as Dewan Hason Raja, was a Bengali poet, mystic philosopher and folksongs writer and composer. He gained international recognition few years after his death, when Nobel prize laureate, poet Rabindranath Tagore mentioned him in his lectures at Oxford University. Tagore said; “ We realise it through admiration and love, through hope that soars beyond the actual, beyond our own span of life into an endless time wherein we live of all men.” and “It is a village poet of East Bengal who preaches in a song the philosophical doctrine that the universe has its reality in its relation to the Person. ”
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• Ami Moria Pai Jodi, Shyamer Ranga Choron
• Ami Na Loilam Allajir Nam

Humayun Ahmed (13 November 1948 – 19 July 2012) was a Bangladeshi author, dramatist, screenwriter, play writer and filmmaker. Ahmed emerged in the Bengali literary world in the early 1970s and over the subsequent decade became the most popular fiction writer of the country. According to Times of India, largest circulation among all English-language newspapers in the world, "Humayun was a custodian of the Bangladeshi literary culture whose contribution single-handedly shifted the capital of Bengali literature from Kolkata to Dhaka without any war or revolution". His breakthrough occurred with the publication of his first novel, Nondito Noroké in 1972. He was a former professor of Chemistry at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Early Life​
umayun Ahmed was born in Mohongonj, Netrokona, but his village home is Kutubpur, Mymensingh, Bangladesh (then East Pakistan). His father, Faizur Rahman Ahmed, a police officer and writer, was killed by Pakistani military during the liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971, and his mother is Ayesha Foyez. Humayun's younger brother, Muhammed Zafar Iqbal, a university professor, is also a writer of mostly science fiction genre and a newspaper columnist. Another brother, Ahsan Habib, is a painter and the editor of Unmad, a cartoon magazine.
​

Education and early career​

Humayun Ahmed went to many schools in Sylhet, Comilla, Chittagong, Dinajpur and Bogra as his father lived in many places upon official assignment. He passed the School Certificate Examination as a student of Bogra Zilla School in 1965. He stood second in the merit list in the Rajshahi Education Board. Later he was admitted to the Dhaka College and passed the Intermediate Examination in 1967. He initially planned to study economics but suddenly changed his mind[citation needed] and got admitted into the Dhaka University to study Chemistry. He passed both BSc (Honours) and MSc with First Class. Subsequently he joined the Dhaka University as a Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry. Later he went abroad to the North Dakota State University in the United States to study for Ph.D. After having studied physical chemistry for two years he was impressed by the lecture of a professor of polymer chemistry; and eventually secured a Ph.D degree in polymer chemistry. He returned to Bangladesh and resumed teaching at the Dhaka University. He retired as a teacher around mid 1990s to devote all his time to writing and production of film.
​

Marriage​

Ahmed was married to Gultekin, granddaughter of Principal Ibrahim Khan[citation needed], in 1973. Humayun has three daughters and one son with Gultekin. He may be regarded as one of the world’s most successful writers, but despite his innumerable professional successes, he found it difficult to maintain a harmonious relationship with his first wife.Later he started an affair with a TV serial actress, Meher Afroz Shaon which lead to divorce of his marraige in 2003. He later married Meher Afroz Shaon in 2005. He has two sons from this marriage.​

Death​

Humayun Ahmed died on 19 July 2012 at 11.20 PM BST at Bellevue Hospital in New York City in the United States after an eleven-month struggle against colorectal cancer. Humayun’s death has proven that the tragic and completely unexpected passing of an icon familiar to millions can create an emotionally unifying experience for a nation. Rashidul Bari, the author of Grameen Social Business Model, wrote in Daily New Age after Humayun's death:

​ "So pragmatic was Humayun’s approach to love, that when he realized that his 32-year marriage to Gultekin was floundering, he filed for divorce in 2005, and married Meher Afroz Shaon shortly afterwards. Many people have tried to understand Humayun’s behavior through the poems of Nazrul: “I am disorderly and lawless, I trample under my feet all rules and discipline! I dance at my own pleasure; I am the unfettered joy of life.”

Career

Television and film

His first television drama was "Prothom Prohor" (first moment) in 1983, directed by Nawazesh Ali Khan. However Humayun's first drama serial was Ei Shob Din Ratri (Tale of our daily lives), which achieved substantial popularity and it was followed by the comedy series Bohubrihi, the historical drama series Ayomoy, and the urban drama series Kothao Keu Nei (There is no one in anywhere). The last one featured a fictional character of an idealistic gang leader named Baker Bhai, who was wrongly convicted and executed. Baker Bhai became such a popular character that before the last episode was aired, people across the country brought out processions protesting his death sentence; public prayers and death anniversaries have been observed for this fictional character by Ahmed's fans. Nakshatrer Raat (The Night of the Stars) was a long serialized televised drama that explored many facets of modern human life and relationship.

Ahmed explored the film industry both as an author and director. He directs films based on his own stories. His first film, "Aguner Parashmoni", based on the, won the National Film Award in total eight categories, including Best Picture and Best Director. The theme of the Liberation War often comes across in his stories, often drawing upon Ahmed's in-depth memories of that war and his father's execution during the war.

Ahmed's film Shyamal Chhaya was submitted by Bangladesh for nomination for best foreign language film. This film was also based on the liberation war of 1971. It portrayed a realistic picture of the liberation war without malice and prejudice.

Ahmed also wrote songs for few of his own films and plays. Some of the notables are titled as Ami Aaj Bhejabo Chokh Somudrer Joley, Chadni Poshor Ratey and Amaaar Achey Jol. 

Humayun Azad হুমায়ুন আজাদ
Born	Mohammed Humayun Azad 28 April 1947 Rarhi Khal, Munshiganj District, British India (now Bangladesh)
Died	11 August 2004 (aged 57) Munich, Germany
Resting place	Fuller Road, Dhaka University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Occupation	Author, poet, scholar, linguists, critic, columnist
Language	Bengali, English
Nationality	Bangladeshi
Education	BA (Bengali) PhD (linguistics)
Alma mater	University of Dhaka University of Edinburgh
Genre	anti-establishment
Notable works	Shob Kichu Noshtoder Odhikare Jabe Chappanno Hazar Borgomile
Notable awards	Bangla Academy Award Ekushey Padak
Spouse	Latifa Kohinoor
Children	Mouli Azad, Smrita Azad, Ananya Azad

Humayun Azad (Bengali: হুমায়ূন আজাদ; 28 April 1947 – 11 August 2004) was a Bangladeshi author, poet, scholar and linguist. He wrote more than seventy titles. In 2012, the Government of Bangladesh honoured him with Ekushey Padak posthumously.^[1]

Contents

• 1 Professional and literary life
• 2 Assassination attempt
• 3 Death
• 4 Literary achievements
  • 4.1 Awards
• 5 Bibliography
  • 5.1 Poetry
  • 5.2 Fictions
  • 5.3 Criticism
  • 5.4 Linguistics
  • 5.5 Teenage literature
  • 5.6 Others
• 6 See also
• 7 References
• 8 External links

Professional and literary life

Azad was born in the village of Rarhikhal, Munshiganj district. He earned BA degree in Bengali language and literature from University of Dhaka. He obtained his PhD in linguistics from the University of Edinburgh in 1976. He later served as a faculty member of the department of Bengali language and literature at the University of Dhaka. His early career produced works on Bengali linguistics, notably syntax. He is regarded as a leading linguist of the Bengali language.
Towards the end of the 1980s, he started to write newspaper column focusing on contemporary socio-political issues. His commentaries continued throughout the 1990s and were later published as books as they grew in numbers. Through his writings of the 1990s, he established himself as a freethinker and appeared to be an agnostic. In his works, he openly criticised religious extremism, as well as Islam, the major religion in Bangladesh.
In 1992 Professor Azad published the first comprehensive feminist book in Bengali titled Naari (Woman). Largely akin to The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir in contents and ideas, Naari became a best-seller^{[citation needed]} and earned Humayun Azad popularity as an author. In this work Azad painstakingly compiled the feminist ideas of the West that underlie the feminist contributions of the subcontinent's socio-political reformers and drew attention to the anti-women attitude of some acclaimed Bengali writers including Rabindranath Tagore.^{[citation needed]} The work, critical of the patriarchal and male-chauvinistic attitude of religion towards women, attracted negative reaction from the conservatives. The Government of Bangladesh banned the book in 1995. The ban was eventually lifted in 2000, following a legal battle that Azad won in the High Court of the country.^{[citation needed]}

Assassination attempt

Azad had been fearing for his life ever since excerpts of his new novel, Pak Sar Jamin Sad Bad (Pakistan's national anthem; Blessed be the Sacred Land) was first published in The Daily Ittefaq's Eid supplement in 2003. In that write-up, he tried to expose the politics and ideology of Islamic fundamentalists of Bangladesh. After that book had been published, he started receiving various threats from the fundamentalists. In an email to Mukto-mona, an independent website, where he was then a member, Azad wrote:

The Ittefaq published a novel by me named Pak Sar Jamin Saad Baad in its Eid issue in December 3. It deals with the condition of Bangladesh for the last two years. Now the (religious) fundamentalists are bringing out regular processions against me, demanding exemplary punishment. The attached two files with this letter will help you understand.^[2][3]

“

”

— Humayun Azad.

On 27 February 2004, he became the victim of a vicious assassination attempt by assailants near the campus of the University of Dhaka during the annual Bangla Academy book fair. A week prior to Dr Azad's assault, Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, one of the renowned religious leaders of Bangladesh demanded, in the parliament, that Dr Azad's political satire Pak Sar Jamin Sad Bad would be banned and demanded the introduction of the Blasphemy Act on the author.^[4]
In 2006 the commander of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) admitted to the RAB interrogators that his operatives carried out the attacks on writer Humayun Azad and another faculty member of Rajshahi University in 2004.^[5] The official position of Azad's attempt of assassination is still unidentified.

Death

On 11 August 2004, Professor Azad was found dead in his apartment in Munich, Germany, where he had arrived a week earlier to conduct research on the nineteenth century German romantic poet Heinrich Heine. His family demanded an investigation, alleging that the extremists who had attempted the earlier assassination had a role in this death.^[6] He was buried in Rarhikhal, his village home in Bangladesh.

Literary achievements

The literary career of Humayun Azad started with poetry. However, his poems did not show any notable poetic fervour. On the other hand his literary essays, particularly those based on original research, carried significant value.
He earned a formidable reputation as a newspaper columnist towards the end of the 1980s. His articles were merciless attacks on social and political injustice, hypocrisy and corruption. He was uncowed in protesting military rule. His novel Chappanno Hazar Borgomile is a powerful novel written against military dictatorship. His collected his critical remarks in a book styled Humayun Azader Probochonguccho which is apparently an influence of Gustave Flaubert's Dictionary of Received Ideas .
Publication of Naari, a feminist work, earned him general popularity and paved way for establishing himself in the literary world of Bangladesh. He started to write novels in 1990s which sold well^{[according to whom?]}. Azad's writings indicate his distaste for corrupt politicians, abusive military rulers and fundamentalist Islam.
Nevertheless, his prose shows a well-knit and compact style of his own. His formation of a sentence, choice of words and syntax are very characteristic of him. Although he often fell victim to the temptation of using fiction as a vehicle of conspicuous political and philosophical message, he distinguished himself with his unique style and diction.

Awards

Azad has received numerous awards; mainly for his all literature works.

• Bangla Academy Award (1986)
• Ekushey Padak (2012)

Bibliography

Main article: Humayun Azad bibliography

Poetry

• "Aloukik Ishtimar" (অলৌকিক ইষ্টিমার) (1973)
• "Jolo Chitabagh" (জ্বলো চিতাবাঘ) (1980)
• "Shob Kichu Noshtoder Odhikare Jabe" (সব কিছু নষ্টদের অধিকারে যাবে) (1985)
• "Jotoi Gobhire Jai Modhu Jotoi Uporay Jai Neel" (যতোই গভীরে যাই মধু যতোই ওপরে যাই নীল) (1987)
• "Ami Bachay Chilam Onnoder Shomoy" (আমি বেঁচেছিলাম অন্যদের সময়ে) (1990)
• "Humayun Azader Shreshtho Kobita" (হুমায়ূন আজাদের শ্রেষ্ঠ কবিতা) (1993)
• "Adhunik Bangla Kobita" (আধুনিক বাঙলা কবিতা) (1994)
• "Kafone Mora Osrubindu" (কাফনে মোড়া অশ্রুবিন্দু) (1998)
• "Kabya Shonggroho" (কাব্য সংগ্রহ) (1998)
• "Peronor Kichhu Nei" (পেরোনোর কিছু নেই) (2004)

Fictions

• "Shob Kichu Bhenge Pore" (সব কিছু ভেঙে পড়ে) (1995)
• "Manush Hishbe Amar Oporadhshomuho" (মানুষ হিসেবে আমার অপরাধসমূহ) (1996)
• "Jadukorer Mrittu" (যাদুকরের মৃত্যু) (1996)
• "Shuvobroto, Tar Shomporkito Shushomacher" (শুভব্রত, তার সম্পর্কিত সুসমাচার) (1997)
• "Rajnitibidgon" (রাজনীতিবিদগণ) (1998)
• "Kobi Othoba Dondito Aupurush" (কবি অথবা দন্ডিত অপুরুষ) (1999)
• "Nijer Shongge Nijer Jiboner Modhu" (নিজের সঙ্গে নিজের জীবনের মধু) (2000)
• "Fali Fali Ko're Kata Chand" (ফালি ফালি ক'রে কাটা চাঁদ) (2001)
• "Uponnashshonggroho-Ak" (উপন্যাসসংগ্রহ-১ "Collection of Novels, Vol.1") (2001)
• "Sraboner Brishtite Roktojoba" (শ্রাবণের বৃষ্টিতে রক্তজবা) (2002)
• "Uponnashshonggroho-Dui" (উপন্যাসসংগ্রহ-২ "Collection of Novels, Vol.2") (2002)
• "Dosh Hazar Abong Aro Akti Dhorshon" (১০,০০০, এবং আরো একটি ধর্ষণ) (2003)
• "Ekti Khuner svapna" (একটি খুনের স্বপ্ন) (2004)
• "Pak Sar Jamin Sad Bad" (পাক সার জমিন সাদ বাদ) (2004)

Criticism

• "Rabindraprobondho/Rashtro O Shomajchinta" (রবীন্দ্র প্রবন্ধ/রাষ্ট্র ও সমাজচিন্তা) (1973)
• "Shamsur Rahman/Nishshonggo Sherpa" (শামসুর রাহমান/নিঃসঙ্গ শেরপা) (1983)
• "Shilpokolar Bimanikikoron O Onnanno Probondho" (শিল্পকলার বিমানবিকীকরণ ও অন্যান্য প্রবন্ধ) (1988)
• "Bhasha-Andolon:Shahittik Potobhumi" (ভাষা-আন্দোলন: সাহিত্যিক পটভূমি) (1990)
• "Naree" (নারী) (1992); banned between 19 November 1995 and 7 March 2000
• "Protikkriashilotar Dirgho Chayar Niche" (প্রতিক্রিয়াশীলতার দীর্ঘ ছায়ার নিচে) (1992)
• "Nibir Nilima" (নিবিড় নীলিমা) (1992)
• "Matal Torony" (মাতাল তরণী) (1992)
• "Norokay Anonto Hritu" (নরকে অনন্ত ঋতু) (1992)
• "Jolpai Ronger Andhokar" (জলপাই রঙের অন্ধকার) (1992)
• "Shimaboddhotar Shutro" (সীমাবদ্ধতার সূত্র) (1993)
• "Adhar O Adhayo" (আধার ও আধেয়) (1993)
• "Amar Abishshash" (আমার অবিশ্বাস) (1997)
• "Parbotto Chattagram: Shobuj Paharer Bhetor Diye Probahito Hingshar Jhornadhara" (পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রাম: সবুজ পাহাড়ের ভেতর দিয়ে প্রবাহিত হিংসার ঝরনাধারা) (1997)
• "Nirbachito Probondho" (নির্বাচিত প্রবন্ধ) (1999)
• "Mohabishsho" (মহাবিশ্ব) (2000)
• "Ditio Lingo" (দ্বিতীয় লিঙ্গ) (2001); translation of The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
• "Amra Ki Ai Bangladesh Cheyechilam" (আমরা কি এই বাঙলাদেশ চেয়েছিলাম) (2003)
• "Dhormanuvutir Upokotha" (ধর্মানভূতির উপকথা ও অন্যান্য) (2004)
• "Amar Notun Jonmo" (আমার নতুন জন্ম) (2005)
• "Amader Boimela" (আমাদের বইমেলা) (2006)

Linguistics

• "Pronominalization in Bengali" (1983)
• "Bangla Bhashar Shotrumitro" (বাঙলা ভাষার শত্রুমিত্র) (1983)
• "Bakkototto" (বাক্যতত্ত্ব) (1994)
• "Bangla Bhasha" Vol.2 (বাঙলা ভাষা – দ্বিতীয় খন্ড) (1985)
• "Bangla Bhasha" (বাঙলা ভাষা – প্রথম খন্ড) (1994)
• "Tulonamulok O Oitihashik Bhashabiggan" (তুলনামূলক ও ঐতিহাসিক ভাষাবিজ্ঞান) (1988)
• "Arthobiggan" (অর্থবিজ্ঞান) (1999)

Teenage literature

• "Lal Neel Dipaboli Ba Bangla Shahitter Jiboni" (লাল নীল দীপাবলি বা বাঙলা সাহিত্যের জীবনী) (1976)
• "Fuler Gondhe Ghum Ashena" (ফুলের গন্ধে ঘুম আসেনা) (1985)
• "Koto Nodi Shorobor Ba Bangla Bhashar Jiboni" (কতো নদী সরোবর বা বাঙলা ভাষার জীবনী) (1987) (ISBN 984-401-017-9)
• "Abbuke Mone Pore" (আব্বুকে মনে পড়ে) (1989) (ISBN 984-401-555-3)
• "Bukpokete Jonakipoka" (বুকপকেটে জোনাকিপোকা) (1993)
• "Amader Shohoray Akdol Debdut" (আমাদের শহরে একদল দেবদূত) (1996)
• "Andhokaray Gondhoraj" (অন্ধকারে গন্ধরাজ) (2003)
• "Our Beautiful Bangladesh" (2004)

Others

• "Humayun Azader Probochonguccho" (হুমায়ুন আজাদের প্রবচনগুচ্ছ) (1992)
• "Shakkhatkar" (সাক্ষাৎকার) (1994)
• "Attotayider Shonge Kothopokothon" (আততায়ীদের সঙ্গে কথোপকথন) (1995)
• "Bohumatrik Jotirmoy" (বহুমাত্রিক জ্যোতির্ময়) (1997)
• "Rabindranath Thakurer Prothom Kobita" (রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুরের প্রধান কবিতা) (1997)

Jahanara Imam জাহানারা ইমাম
Born	3 May 1929 Murshidabad, West Bengal, British India
Died	26 June 1994 (aged 65) Detroit, Michigan, US
Resting place	Dhaka, Bangladesh
Education	MA
Alma mater	University of Dhaka
Spouse	Shariful Alam Imam Ahmed (1948–1971)
Children	Shafi Imam Rumi (son) Jami (son)
Relatives	Syed Abdul Ali (father) Hamida Ali (mother)

Jahanara Imam (Bengali: জাহানারা ইমাম) (3 May 1929 – 26 June 1994) was a Bangladeshi Bengali writer and political activist. She is most widely remembered for her efforts to bring those accused of committing war crimes in the Bangladesh Liberation War to trial. She was known as "Shaheed Janani" (Mother of Martyrs).

Contents

• 1 Biography
• 2 War of Liberation
• 3 Literary career
• 4 Awards
• 5 Effort to try war criminals
• 6 Literary works
• 7 See also
• 8 References
• 9 External links

Biography

Family Photograph

Jahanara Imam was born to a progressive Muslim family in Murshidabad, in West Bengal, India.^[1] She was the eldest daughter in a family of three brothers and four sisters. Her father Syed Abdul Ali was a Civil Servant in the Bengal Civil Service and she lived in many different parts of Bengal – wherever her father was posted. She had a very liberal upbringing and education and was an exceptionally spirited person. Her father recognised this and made sure she received the best possible education. Her mother Hamida Ali, who spent her entire life looking after her family and bringing up her children, also had high ambitions for her daughter. At that time there was a lot of social pressure against Muslim women pursuing further studies, but she was determined that Jahanara's education would not be constrained. Her parents' ambitions and their belief in education for women left a deep impression on Jahanara.
After finishing her studies in 1945 in Carmichael College in Rangpur, Jahanara Imam went to Lady Brabourne College of Calcutta University and in 1947 obtained her Bachelor's Degree.^[2] She was an activist even during her Lady Brabourne College days.^[2] After the partition of India, she joined her family in Mymensingh in what became East Pakistan and started teaching at Vidyamoyee Govt. Girls High School.
In 1948 she married Shariful Alam Imam Ahmed, a Civil Engineer, whom she met in Rangpur while studying at Carmichael College. They settled in Dhaka and she joined Siddheswari Girl's School as Head Mistress. She was instrumental in transforming the school from its humble beginnings into one of the top girls' schools in Dhaka.^[2]
She was the first editor of the monthly women's magazine called "Khawateen".^[2] It started its publication in 1952 and she ran it successfully for several years.
In 1960 she gave up her job as Head Mistress to concentrate on bringing up her two sons Rumi and Jami born in 1952 and 1954 respectively. She said to herself "I have given education to thousands of school children, now I should spend some time to bring up my own children".
During this time Jahanara Imam finished her Master's Degree in Bengali Language and Literature and a Bachelor's Degree in Education from Dhaka University in 1962 and 1963 respectively. After that she went back to full-time teaching. From 1966 to 1968 she worked as a lecturer in the Teacher's Training College in Dhaka. From 1970 she also taught for several years on a part-time basis in the Institute of Modern Language in Dhaka University.
She spent a significant part of her life in education. She visited the USA in 1964–65 as a Fulbright Scholar to San Diego University and again in 1977 under the International Visitor Program at the invitation of US Government.^[2]

War of Liberation

In 1971, following the Pakistan army crackdown on 25 March, the Bangladesh Liberation War broke out. Many joined the liberation struggle, including Jahanara's elder son Shafi Imam Rumi, who joined the Mukti Bahini to become a Mukti Joddha (Freedom Fighter). During the war, she wrote a diary on her feelings about the struggle. This later became one of the most important publications about the War of Liberation.
Rumi took part in many daring actions against Pakistan army. Unfortunately, he was to be picked up by the Pakistani army, never to be seen again. Jahanara's husband and her younger son Jami along with other male members of the family were also picked up for interrogation and were tortured. Her husband Sharif Imam returned home a broken man only to die three days before Bangladesh became free on 16 December 1971.^[3]

Literary career

Family Photograph

After Bangladesh achieved independence, Jahanara Imam started her literary career. During this time she also travelled extensively to Europe, USA and Canada. In 1986 she published her wartime diary "Ekatturer Dinguli" (The days of Seventy One).^[4] Publication of this book was a seminal event in the history of Bangladesh. It proved to be a catalyst for the renewal of faith in the destiny of Bangladesh as an independent nation.^{[citation needed]}
Jahanara Imam's diary, in some respect like that of Anne Frank, was a very personal account of tragedy. Her simple style of writing touched many hearts, particularly those of the families who had lost members during the war. Former freedom fighters who had felt disillusioned in the aftermath of the war called Jahanara "Shaheed Janani" (Mother of Martyrs).
In her young days, Jahanara Imam was known for her beauty and elegance. She was dubbed the Suchitra Sen of Dhaka, the famous Indian Bengali film star.^{[citation needed]}
In 1981 she was diagnosed with mouth cancer, and operations caused her to have difficulty speaking, but despite her ordeal, she continued to write and continued her involvement with the Freedom Fighters. Jahanara Imam died in Detroit, USA on 26 June 1994. She was buried in Dhaka as she had wished. To show respect to Shaheed Janani, nearly quarter of a million people attended her funeral.

Awards

Jahanara Imam was a prolific writer and made great contribution to Bengali literature. She was honoured and awarded several times. In 1988 she received an award from Bangladesh Writer's Association. In 1991 in recognition of her literary works she received the prestigious honour in Bengali literature "Bangla Academy Literary Award" from Bangla Academy. Prestigious daily newspaper "Ajker Kagoj" hailed her as the Greatest Freedom Fighter of 14th century in Bengali Calendar. In 1997 and 1998 she received posthumously Independence Award and Rokeya Award respectively.

Effort to try war criminals

As the ruler of Bangladesh, President Ziaur Rahman (1975–1981) enacted several controversial measures, ostensibly to win the support of Islamic political parties and opponents of the Awami League. In 1978, he revoked the ban on the Jamaat-e-Islami, which was widely believed to have collaborated with the Pakistani army and members of which are alleged to have committed war crimes against civilians.^{[citation needed]}
Ghulam Azam, the exiled chief of the Jammat-e-Islami, was allowed to come back to Bangladesh in July 1978. In 1991 December Ghulam Azam, was elected the Amir of Jamaat-e-Islam. Subsequently, Jahanara Imam organised the Ghatak-Dalal Nirmul Committee (Committee to exterminate the Killers and Collaborators), and became its public face. The committee called for the trial of people who committed crimes against humanity in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War in collaboration with the Pakistani forces. The Ghatak-Dalal Nirmul Committee set up mock trials in Dhaka in March 1992 known as Gonoadalot (Court of the people) and 'sentenced' persons they accused of being war criminals. Imam and others were charged with treason.^[5] This charge was, however, dropped in 1996 after her death by the Chief Advisor Mohammed Habibur Rahman of the Caretaker government of that time.^[5]
The activities of the "Ekattorer Ghatak-Dalal Nirmul Committee" led by Jahanara Imam were deemed unlawful by the Government of Bangladesh.^{[citation needed]}

Literary works

• Anya Jiban (1985) (Other life)
• Ekattorer Dingulee (1986) (The days of 1971)^[4]
• Jiban Mrityu (1988) (Life and death)
• Buker Bhitare Agun (1990) (Fire in my heart)
• Nataker Abasan (1990) (End of drama)
• Dui Meru (1990) (Two poles)
• Cancer-er Sange Bosobas (1991) (Living with cancer)
• Prabaser Dinalipi (1992) (Life abroad)
• Early in her career, Jahanara Imam also translated several books from English into Bengali, including some of the popular "Little House" books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Jasimuddin (Bengali: জসীমউদ্দীন; full name Jasimuddin Mollah) was a Bengali poet, songwriter, prose writer, folklore collector and radio personality. He is commonly known in Bangladesh as Polli Kobi (The Rural Poet), for his faithful rendition of Bengali folklore in his works. Jasimuddin was also one of the pioneers of the progressive and non-communal cultural movement in East Pakistan.

Early Life and Career

Jasimuddin was born in the village of Tambulkhana in Faridpur District in the house of his maternal uncle. His father, Ansaruddin Mollah, was a school-teacher. Jasimuddin received early education at Faridpur Welfare School. He matriculated from Faridpur Zilla School in 1921. Jasimuddin completed IA from Rajendra College in 1924.

He obtained his BA and MA degree in Bengali from the University of Calcutta in 1929 and 1931 respectively. From 1931 to 1937, Jasimuddin worked with Dinesh Chandra Sen as a collector of folk literature. Jasimuddin is one of the compilers of Purbo-Bongo Gitika (Ballads of East Bengal). He collected more than 10,000 folk songs, some of which has been included in his song compilations Jari Gaan and Murshida Gaan. He also wrote voluminously on the interpretation and philosophy of Bengali folklore.

Jasimuddin joined the University of Dhaka in 1938 as a Lecturer. He left the university in 1944 and joined the Department of Information and Broadcasting. He worked there until his retirement as Deputy Director in 1962.

Jasimuddin died on 13 March 1976 and was buried near his ancestral home at Gobindapur, Faridpur.

Poetry

Jasimuddin started writing poems at an early age. As a college student, he wrote the celebrated poem Kabar (The Grave), a very simple tone to obtain family-religion and tragedy.

The poem was placed in the entrance Bengali textbook while he was still a student of Calcutta University.

Jasimuddin is noted for his depiction of rural life and nature from the viewpoint of rural people. This had earned him fame as Polli Kobi (the rural poet). The structure and content of his poetry bears a strong flavor of Bengal folklore. His Nokshi Kanthar Maath (Field of the Embroidered Quilt) is considered a masterpiece and has been translated into many different languages.

Jasimuddin also composed numerous songs in the tradition of rural Bengal. His collaboration with Abbas Uddin, the most popular folk singer of Bengal, produced some of the gems of Bengali folk music, especially of Bhatiali genre. Jasimuddin also wrote some modern songs for the radio. He was influenced by his neighbor, poet Golam Mostofa, to write Islamic songs too. Later, during the liberation war of Bangladesh, he wrote some patriotic songs. He is one of the best poets in Bangladesh.

Major Honors and Awards

President's Award for Pride of Performance, Pakistan (1958)
DLitt. by Rabindra Bharati University, India (1969)
Ekushey Padak, Bangladesh (1976)
Independence Day Award, Bangladesh -posthumous (1978)

Legacy

A fortnightly festival known as Jasim Mela is observed at Gobindapur each year in January commemorating the birthday of Jasimuddin.
A residential hall of the University of Dhaka bears his name.

Jasimuddin's Works:

Poetry

Rakhali (1927)
Nakshi Kanthar Maath (1928)
Baluchor (1930)
Dhankhet(1933)
Sojan Badiyar Ghat (1934)
Rangila Nayer Majhi (1935)
Hashu (1938)
Rupobati (1946)
Matir Kanna (1951)
Sakina (1959)
Suchayani (1961)
Bhayabaha Sei Dingulite (1972)
Ma je Jononi Kande(1963)
Holud Boroni (1966)
Jole Lekhon (1969)
Padma Nadir Deshe (1969)
Beder Meye (1951)
Kafoner Michil (1978)

Drama

Padmapar (1950)
Beder Meye (1951)
Modhubala (1951)
Pallibodhu (1956)
Gramer Maya (1959)
Ogo Pushpodhonu (1968)
Asman Shingho (1968)

Novel

Boba Kahini (1964)

Memoirs

Jader Dekhachi (1951)
Thakur Barir Anginay (1961)
Jibonkotha (1964)
Smritipot (1964)
Smaraner Sarani Bahi (1978)

Travelogues

Chole Musafir (1952)
Holde Porir Deshe (1967)
Je Deshe Manush Boro (1968)
Germanir Shahare Bandare (1975)

Music books

Rangila Nayer Majhi
Padmapar (1950)
Gangerpar
Jari Gan
Murshida Gan
Rakhali Gan
Baul

Others

Dalim Kumar (1986)
Bangalir Hasir Galpa (Part 1 and 2)

Song Titles

Amar sonar moyna pakhi
Amar golar har khule ne
Amar har kala korlam re
Amay bhashaili re
Amay eto raate
Kemon tomar mata pita
Nishithe jaio fulobone
Nodir kul nai kinar nai
O bondhu rongila
Prano shokhire
Rangila nayer majhi
This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia Jasimuddin; it is used under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the CC-BY-SA.

Popular Poems

• Asmani
• Amarbari
• Amar Khodare Dekhiyachhi Ami
• A Lady With a Lamp
• Biday
• Agomoni
• Bamun Barir Meye
• Bisorjon
• Amar Bondhu Binodiya Re
• Bastu Tyagi
• Are O Rongila Nayer Majhi
• Alap
• Anurodh
• Aj Amar Mone To Na Mane Re

Kazi Nazrul Islam (Bengali: কাজী নজরুল ইসলাম pronounced: [kadʒi nodʒrul islam]) (24 May 1899 – 29 August 1976) is the national poet of Bangladesh. He was also a Bengali polymath, poet, writer, musician and revolutionary. Popularly known as Nazrul, his poetry and music espoused Indo-Islamic renaissance and intense spiritual rebellion against fascism and oppression. Nazrul's impassioned activism for political and social justice earned him the title of The Rebel Poet (Bengali: বিদ্রোহী কবি; Bidrohi Kobi). His compositions form the avant-garde genre of Nazrul Sangeet (Music of Nazrul). Accomplishing a large body of acclaimed works through his life, he is officially recognised as the National Poet of Bangladesh and is highly commemorated and revered in India, especially in West Bengal.^[2]
Born into a Bengali Muslim Quazi (Kazi) family, Nazrul received religious education and worked as a muezzin at a local mosque. He learned of poetry, drama, and literature while working with theatrical groups. After serving in the British Indian Army, Nazrul established himself as a journalist in Calcutta. He assailed the British Raj in India and preached revolution through his poetic works, such as Bidrohi (The Rebel) and Bhangar Gaan (The Song of Destruction), as well as his publication Dhumketu (The Comet). His nationalist activism in the Indian independence movement often led to his imprisonment by British authorities. While in prison, Nazrul wrote the Rajbandir Jabanbandi (Deposition of a Political Prisoner). Exploring the life and conditions of the downtrodden masses of the Indian subcontinent, Nazrul worked for their emancipation. He fiercely inspired Bengalis during the Bangladesh Liberation War.
Nazrul's writings explore themes such as love, freedom, and revolution; he opposed all bigotry, including religious and gender. Throughout his career, Nazrul wrote short stories, novels, and essays but is best known for his poems, in which he pioneered new forms such as Bengali ghazals. Nazrul wrote and composed music for his nearly 4,000 songs (including gramophone records),^[3] collectively known as Nazrul geeti (Songs of Nazrul), which are widely popular today. In 1942 at the age of 43 he began suffering from an unknown disease, losing his voice and memory. It is often said, the reason was slow poisoning by British Government but later a medical team in Vienna diagnosed the disease as Morbus Pick,^[4] a rare incurable neurodegenerative disease. It caused Nazrul's health to decline steadily and forced him to live in isolation for many years. Invited by the Government of Bangladesh, Nazrul and his family moved to Dhaka in 1972. Later, he was accorded Bangladeshi citizenship. He died four years later on 29 August 1976.

Contents

• 1 Early life
• 2 Rebel Poet
• 3 Revolutionary
• 4 Mass music
• 5 Exploring religion
• 6 Later life and illness
• 7 Criticism and legacy
• 8 Renowned Nazrul Sangeet singers
• 9 See also
• 10 References
• 11 Bibliography
• 12 External links

Early life

Nazrul in the Army

Kazi Nazrul Islam was born in the village of Churulia near Asansol in the Burdwan District of Bengal Presidency (now in West Bengal).^[5] He was born in a powerful Muslim Taluqdar family and was the second of three sons and a daughter, Nazrul's father Kazi Faqeer Ahmed was the imam and caretaker of the local mosque and mausoleum. Nazrul's mother was Zahida Khatun. Nazrul had two brothers, Kazi Saahibjaan and Kazi Ali Hussain, and a sister, Umme Kulsum. Nicknamed Dukhu Miañ (দুখু মিঞা literally "Mr Sad Man" the One with Grief), Nazrul began attending the maktab and madrassa run by the mosque & dargah where he studied the Qur'an and other scriptures, Islamic philosophy and theology. His family was devastated with the death of his father in 1908. At the young age of ten, Nazrul began working in his father's place as a caretaker to support his family, as well as assisting teachers in school. He later became the muezzin at the mosque.^[1][6]
Attracted to folk theatre, Nazrul joined a leto (travelling theatrical group) run by his uncle Fazl e Karim, working and travelling with them, learning acting, as well as writing songs and poems for the plays and musicals.^[5] Through his work and experiences, Nazrul began learning Bengali and Sanskrit literature, as well as Hindu scriptures such as the Puranas. The young poet composed many folk plays for his group, which included Chāshār Shōng ("the drama of a peasant"), Shokunībōdh ("the Killing of Shakuni," a character from the epic Mahabharata), Rājā Jodhisthirer Shōng ("the drama of King Yudhisthira" again from the Mahabharata), Dātā Kōrno ("the philanthropic Karna" from the Mahabharata), Ākbōr Bādshāh ("Akbar the emperor"), Kobi Kālidās ("poet Kalidas"), Bidyan Hutum ("the learned owl"), and Rājputrer Shōng ("the drama of a prince"),^[1]

Nazrul in 1927

In 1910, Nazrul left the troupe and enrolled at the Searsole Raj High School in Raniganj (where he came under influence of teacher, revolutionary and Jugantar activist Nibaran Chandra Ghatak, and initiated lifelong friendship with fellow author Sailajananda Mukhopadhyay, who was his classmate), and later transferred to the Mathrun High English School, studying under the headmaster and poet Kumudranjan Mallik. Unable to continue paying his school fees, Nazrul left the school and joined a group of kaviyals. Later he took jobs as a cook and at the most famous bakery of the region Wahid's/Abdul Wahid and tea stall in the town of Asansol. In 1914, Nazrul studied in the Darirampur School (now Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University) in Trishal, Mymensingh District. Amongst other subjects, Nazrul studied Bengali, Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian literature and Hindustani classical music under teachers who were impressed by his dedication and skill.^[1]
Studying up to Class X, Nazrul did not appear for the matriculation pre-test examination, enlisting instead in the Indian Army in 1917 at the age of eighteen. He joined the British army mainly for two reasons: first, his youthful romantic inclination to respond to the unknown and, secondly, the call of politics.^[7] Attached to the 49th Bengal Regiment, he was posted to the cantonment in Karachi, where he wrote his first prose and poetry. Although he never saw active fighting, he rose in rank from corporal to havildar, and served as quartermaster for his battalion.^[1] During this period, Nazrul read extensively, and was deeply influenced by Rabindranath Tagore and Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, as well as the Persian poets Hafez, Rumi and Omar Khayyam. He learnt Persian poetry from the regiment's Punjabi moulvi, practiced music and pursued his literary interests. His first prose work, "Baunduler Atmakahini" ("Life of a Vagabond") was published in May, 1919. His poem "Mukti" "মুক্তি" ("Freedom") was published by the "Bangla Mussalman Sahitya Patrika" "বাংলা মুসলিম সাহিত্য পত্রিকা" ("Bengali Muslim Literary Journal") in July 1919.^[1]

Rebel Poet

Young Nazrul

Nazrul left the army in 1920 and settled in Calcutta, which was then the "cultural capital" of India (it had ceased to be the political capital in 1911).^[8] He joined the staff of the “Bangiya Mussalman Sahitya Samiti” ("Bengali Muslim Literary Society") and roomed at 32 College Street with colleagues. He published his first novel "Bandhan-hara" "বাঁধনহারা" ("Freedom from bondage") in 1920, which he kept working on over the next seven years.^[1] His first collection of poems included "Bodhan", "Shat-il-Arab", "Kheya-parer Tarani" and "Badal Prater Sharab" and received critical acclaim.^[1]
Working at the literary society, Nazrul grew close to other young Muslim writers including Mohammad Mozammel Haq, Afzalul Haq, Kazi Abdul Wadud and Muhammad Shahidullah. He was a regular at clubs for Calcutta's writers, poets and intellectuals like the Gajendar Adda and the Bharatiya Adda. Despite many differences, Nazrul looked to Rabindranath Tagore as a mentor and he and Muhammad Shahidullah remained in close association.^[1] In 1921, Nazrul was engaged to be married to Nargis, the niece of a well-known Muslim publisher Ali Akbar Khan, in Daulatpur, Comilla.^{[citation needed]} But on 18 June 1921 —the day of the wedding— upon public insistence by Ali Akbar Khan that the term "Nazrul must reside in Daulatpur after marriage" be included in the marriage contract, Nazrul walked away from the ceremony.^{[citation needed]}
Nazrul reached the peak of fame with the publication of "Bidrohi" in 1922, which remains his most famous work, winning the admiration of India's literary classes by his description of the rebel whose impact is fierce and ruthless even as their spirit is deep:^[9]

I am the unutterable grief,
I am the trembling first touch of the virgin,
I am the throbbing tenderness of her first stolen kiss.
I am the fleeting glance of the veiled beloved,
I am her constant surreptitious gaze...
...
I am the burning volcano in the bosom of the earth,
I am the wild fire of the woods,
I am Hell's mad terrific sea of wrath!
I ride on the wings of lightning with joy and profundity,
I scatter misery and fear all around,
I bring earth-quakes on this world! “(8th stanza)”
I am the rebel eternal,
I raise my head beyond this world,
High, ever erect and alone! “(Last stanza)”^[10] (English translation by Kabir Choudhary)

বিদ্রোহী
- কাজী নজরুল ইসলাম
বল বীর -
          বল উন্নত মম শির!
শির নেহারি আমারি, নত-শির ওই শিখর হিমাদ্রীর!
               বল বীর -
বল মহাবিশ্বের মহাকাশ ফাড়ি'
          চন্দ্র সূর্য্য গ্রহ তারা ছাড়ি'
          ভূলোক দ্যুলোক গোলক ভেদিয়া,
          খোদার আসন "আরশ" ছেদিয়া
               উঠিয়াছি চির-বিস্ময় আমি বিশ্ব-বিধাত্রীর!
মম ললাটে রুদ্র-ভগবান জ্বলে রাজ-রাজটীকা দীপ্ত জয়শ্রীর!
               বল বীর -
          আমি চির-উন্নত শির!
আমি চিরদুর্দ্দম, দুর্বিনীত, নৃশংস,
মহা- প্রলয়ের আমি নটরাজ, আমি সাইক্লোন, আমি ধ্বংস,
আমি মহাভয়, আমি অভিশাপ পৃথ্বীর!
               আমি দুর্ব্বার,
আমি ভেঙে করি সব চুরমার!
আমি অনিয়ম উচ্ছৃঙ্খল,
আমি দ'লে যাই যত বন্ধন, যত নিয়ম কানুন শৃংখল!
আমি মানি নাকো কোনো আইন,
আমি ভরা-তরী করি ভরা-ডুবি, আমি টর্পেডো, আমি ভীম,
                              ভাসমান মাইন!
আমি ধূর্জ্জটী, আমি এলোকেশে ঝড় অকাল-বৈশাখীর!
আমি বিদ্রোহী আমি বিদ্রোহী-সূত বিশ্ব-বিধাত্রীর!
               বল বীর -
           চির উন্নত মম শির!

Published in the "Bijli" "বিজলি" (Lightning) magazine, the rebellious language and theme was popularly received, coinciding with the Non-cooperation movement — the first, mass nationalist campaign of civil disobedience against British rule.^[1]
Nazrul explores a synthesis of different forces in a rebel, destroyer and preserver, expressing rage as well as beauty and sensitivity. Nazrul followed up by writing "Pralayollas" ("Destructive Euphoria"), and his first anthology of poems, the "Agniveena" "অগ্নিবীনা" ("Lyre of Fire") in 1922, which enjoyed astounding and far-reaching success. He also published his first volume of short stories, the "Byather Dan" "ব্যাথার দান" ("Gift of Sorrow") and "Yugbani" "যুগবানী", an anthology of essays.

Revolutionary

Nazrul with his first son Bulbul; his wife Pramila seated right and his mother-in-law Giribala Devi seated left, behind whom stands Bulbul's nanny

Nazrul started a bi-weekly magazine, publishing the first "Dhumketu" "ধূমকেতু" (Comet) on 12 August 1922. Earning the moniker of the "rebel poet”, Nazrul also aroused the suspicion of British authorities.^[5] "Anondomoyeer Agomone" a political poem published in "Dhumketu" in September 1922 led to a police raid on the magazine's office. Arrested, Nazrul entered a lengthy plea before the judge in the court.

I have been accused of sedition. That is why I am now confined in the prison. On the one side is the crown, on the other the flames of the comet. One is the king, sceptre in hand; the other Truth worth the mace of justice. To plead for me, the king of all kings, the judge of all judges, the eternal truth the living God... His laws emerged out of the realization of a universal truth about mankind. They are for and by a sovereign God. The king is supported by an infinitesimal creature; I by its eternal and indivisible Creator. I am a poet; I have been sent by God to express the unexpressed, to portray the unportrayed. It is God who is heard through the voice of the poet... My voice is but a medium for Truth, the message of God... I am the instrument of that eternal self-evident truth, an instrument that voices forth the message of the ever-true. I am an instrument of God. The instrument is not unbreakable, but who is there to break God?^[11]

On 14 April 1923 he was transferred from the jail in Alipore to Hooghly in Kolkata. He began a 40-day fast to protest mistreatment by the British jail superintendent. Nazrul broke his fast more than a month later and was eventually released from prison in December 1923. Nazrul composed a large number of poems and songs during the period of imprisonment and many of his works were banned in the 1920s by the British authorities.^[1]
Kazi Nazrul Islam became a critic of the Khilafat struggle, condemning it as hollow, religious fundamentalism.^[1] Nazrul's rebellious expression extended to rigid orthodoxy in the name of religion and politics.^[12] Nazrul also criticised the Indian National Congress for not embracing outright political independence from the British Empire. He became active in encouraging people to agitate against British rule, and joined the Bengal state unit of the Congress party.^[1] Nazrul also helped organise the Sramik Praja Swaraj Dal, along with Muzaffar Ahmeda socialist political party committed to national independence and the service of the peasant masses. On 16 December 1925 Nazrul began publishing the weekly "Langal” (Plough), and served as chief editor.^[1]
During his visit to Comilla in 1921, Nazrul met a young Hindu woman, Pramila Devi, with whom he fell in love and they married on 25 April 1924. Pramila belonged to the Brahmo Samaj, which criticised her marriage to a Muslim. Nazrul in turn was condemned by Muslim religious leaders and continued to face criticism for his personal life and professional works, which attacked social and religious dogma and intolerance. Despite controversy, Nazrul's popularity and reputation as the "rebel poet" rose significantly.^[1][13]

Weary of struggles, I, the great rebel,
Shall rest in quiet only when I find
The sky and the air free of the piteous groans of the oppressed.
Only when the battle fields are cleared of jingling bloody sabres
Shall I, weary of struggles, rest in quiet,
I the great rebel.^[10]

Mass music

Nazrul in the role of Narad in the stage drama Dhruba

With his wife and young son Bulbul, Nazrul settled in Krishnanagar in 1926. His work began to transform as he wrote poetry and songs that articulated the aspirations of the downtrodden classes, a sphere of his work known as "mass music."^[14] Nazrul assailed the socio-economic norms and political system that had brought misery. From his poem 'Daridro' Bengali: দারিদ্র (poverty or pain):

O poverty, thou hast made me great.
Thou hast made me honoured like Christ
With his crown of thorns. Thou hast given me
Courage to reveal all. To thee I owe
My insolent, naked eyes and sharp tongue.
Thy curse has turned my violin to a sword...
O proud saint, thy terrible fire
Has rendered my heaven barren.
O my child, my darling one
I could not give thee even a drop of milk
No right have I to rejoice.
Poverty weeps within my doors forever
As my spouse and my child.
Who will play the flute?^[15]

দারিদ্র্য
- কাজী নজরুল ইসলাম

হে দারিদ্র্য, তুমি মোরে করেছ মহান্‌।
তুমি মোরে দানিয়াছ খ্রীষ্টের সম্মান
কন্টক-মুকুট শোভা।-দিয়াছ, তাপস,
অসঙ্কোচ প্রকাশের দুরন্ত সাহস;
উদ্ধত উলঙ্গ দৃষ্টি, বাণী ক্ষুরধার,
বীণা মোর শাপে তব হ’ল তরবার!
দুঃসহ দাহনে তব হে দর্পী তাপস,
অম্লান স্বর্ণেরে মোর করিলে বিরস,
অকালে শুকালে মোর রূপ রস প্রাণ!
শীর্ণ করপুট ভরি’ সুন্দরের দান
যতবার নিতে যাই-হে বুভুক্ষু তুমি
অগ্রে আসি’ কর পান! শূন্য মরুভূমি
হেরি মম কল্পলোক। আমার নয়ন
আমারি সুন্দরে করে অগ্নি বরিষণ!

In what his contemporaries regarded as one of his greatest flairs of creativity, Nazrul began composing the very first ghazals in Bengali, transforming a form of poetry written mainly in Persian and Urdu.^[6] Nazrul became the first person to introduce Islam into the larger mainstream tradition of Bengali music. The first record of Islamic songs by Nazrul Islam was a commercial success and many gramophone companies showed interest in producing these. A significant impact of Nazrul was that it drew made Muslims more comfortable in the Bengali Arts, which used to be dominated by Hindus. Nazrul also composed a number of notable Shamasangeet, Bhajan and Kirtan, combining Hindu devotional music.^[16] Arousing controversy and passions in his readers, Nazrul's ideas attained great popularity across India. In 1928, Nazrul began working as a lyricist, composer and music director for His Master's Voice Gramophone Company. The songs written and music composed by him were broadcast on radio stations across the country. He was also enlisted/attached with the Indian Broadcasting Company.^[17]
Nazrul professed faith in the belief in the equality of women — a view his contemporaries considered revolutionary.^[9] From his poet Nari (Woman):

I don't see any difference
Between a man and woman
Whatever great or benevolent achievements
That are in this world
Half of that was by woman,
The other half by man. (Translated by Sajed Kamal^[18])

His poetry retains long-standing notions of men and women in binary opposition to one another and does not affirm gender similarities and flexibility in the social structure:

Man has brought the burning, scorching heat of the sunny day;
Woman has brought peaceful night, soothing breeze and cloud.
Man comes with desert-thirst; woman provides the drink of honey.
Man ploughs the fertile land; woman sows crops in it turning it green.
Man ploughs, woman waters; that earth and water mixed together, brings about a harvest of golden paddy.^[18]

However, Nazrul's poems strongly emphasise the confluence of the roles of both sexes and their equal importance to life. He stunned society with his poem "Barangana" ("Prostitute"), in which he addresses a prostitute as "mother".^[19] Nazrul accepts the prostitute as a human being, reasoning that this person was breast-fed by a noble woman and belonging to the race of "mothers and sisters"; he assails society's negative notions of prostitutes.^[20]

Who calls you a prostitute, mother?
Who spits at you?
Perhaps you were suckled by someone
as chaste as Seeta.
...
And if the son of an unchaste mother is 'illegitimate',
so is the son of an unchaste father.
Translated by Sajed Kamal^[21])

Nazrul was an advocate of the emancipation of women; both traditional and non-traditional women were portrayed by him with utmost sincerity.^[19] Nazrul's songs are collectively called as Nazrul Sangeet Nazrul geeti.

Exploring religion

Nazrul in Calcutta, 1940

Nazrul's mother died in 1928, and his second son Bulbul died of smallpox the following year. His first son, Krishna Mohammad had died prematurely. His wife gave birth to two more sons — Savyasachi in 1928 and Aniruddha in 1931 — but Nazrul remained shaken and aggrieved for a long time.

Come back my birdie! Come back again to my empty bosom! Shunno e bookey paakhi mor aaye! Phirey aaye phirey aaye!^[22]

His works changed significantly from rebellious expositions of society to deeper examination of religious themes. His works in these years led Islamic devotional songs into the mainstream of Bengali folk music, exploring the Islamic practices of namaz (prayer), roza (fasting), hajj (pilgrimage) and zakat (charity). This was regarded by his contemporaries as a significant achievement as Bengali Muslims had been strongly averse to devotional music.^[23] Nazrul's creativity diversified as he explored Hindu devotional music by composing Shama Sangeet, bhajans and kirtans, often merging Islamic and Hindu values. Nazrul's poetry and songs explored the philosophy of Islam and Hinduism.^[24]

Let people of all countries and all times come together. At one great union of humanity. Let them listen to the flute music of one great unity. Should a single person be hurt, all hearts should feel it equally. If one person is insulted; it is a shame to all mankind, an insult to all! Today is the grand uprising of the agony of universal man.^[25]

The badnaa, a water jug typical in usage by Bengali Muslims for ablutions (wazu) and bath (ghusl) and the gaaru a water pot typical in usage by Bengali Hindus, meet and embrace each other under the peace of the new pact (between the rioting Hindus and Muslims in Bengal during the British Raj on certain politico-religious differences and disputes that had preceded the said pact). There is no knife in the hand of the Muslim and also the Hindu does not wield the bamboo any more! Bodna gaaru te kolakuli korey! Nobo pact er aashnaai! Musholmaaner haatey naai chhuri! Hindur haatey baansh naai!^[26]

Nazrul's poetry imbibed the passion and creativity of Shakti, which is identified as the Brahman, the personification of primordial energy. He wrote and composed many bhajans, shyamasangeet, agamanis and kirtans. He also composed large number of songs on invocation to Lord Shiva, Goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati and on the theme of love of Radha and Krishna.^[6]
Nazrul assailed fanaticism in religion, denouncing it as evil and inherently irreligious. He devoted many works to expound upon the principle of human equality, exploring the Qur'an and the life of Islam's prophet Muhammad. Nazrul has been compared to William Butler Yeats for being the first Muslim poet to create imagery and symbolism of Muslim historical figures such as Qasim, Ali, Umar, Kamal Pasha, Anwar Pasha and Muhammad.^[11] His vigorous assault on extremism and mistreatment of women provoked condemnation from Muslim and Hindu fundamentalists.^{[citation needed]}
In 1920, Nazrul expressed his vision of religious harmony in an editorial in Joog Bani,

“Come brother Hindu! Come Musalman! Come Buddhist! Come Christian! Let us transcend all barriers, let us forsake forever all smallness, all lies, all selfishness and let us call brothers as brothers. We shall quarrel no more”.^[27]

In another article entitled Hindu Mussalman published in Ganabani on 2 September 1922 he wrote -

‘’I can tolerate Hinduism and Muslims but I cannot tolerate the Tikism (Tiki is a tuft of never cut hair kept on the head by certain Hindus to maintain personal Holiness) and beardism. Tiki is not Hinduism. It may be the sign of the pundit. Similarly beard is not Islam, it may be the sign of the mollah. All the hair-pulling have originated from those two tufts of hair. Todays fighting is also between the Pundit and the Mollah: It is not between the Hindus and the Muslims. No prophet has said, ‘’I have come for Hindus I have come for Muslims I have come for Christians.” They have said, “I have come for the humanity for everyone, like light’’. But the devotees of Krishna says, “Krishna is for Hindus”. The followers of Muhammad (Sm) says, “Muhammad (Sm) is for the Muslims”. The Disciple of Christ is for Christian”. Krishna-Muhammad-Christ have become national property. This property is the root of all trouble. Men do not quarrel for light but they quarrel over cattle.”^[28]

Nazrul was an exponent of humanism.^[28] Although a Muslim, he named his sons with both Hindu and Muslim names: Krishna Mohammad, Arindam Khaled(bulbul), Kazi Sabyasachi and Kazi Aniruddha.^[29]

Later life and illness

Nazrul is buried on the grounds of the Central Mosque of Dhaka University

In 1933, Nazrul published a collection of essays titled "Modern World Literature", in which he analyses different styles and themes of literature. Between 1928 and 1935 he published 10 volumes containing 800 songs of which more than 600 were based on classical ragas. Almost 100 were folk tunes after kirtans and some 30 were patriotic songs. From the time of his return to Kolkata until he fell ill in 1941, Nazrul composed more than 2,600 songs, many of which have been lost.^[6] His songs based on baul, jhumur, Santhali folksongs, jhanpan or the folk songs of snake charmers, bhatiali and bhaoaia consist of tunes of folk-songs on the one hand and a refined lyric with poetic beauty on the other. Nazrul also wrote and published poems for children.^[6]
Nazrul's success soon brought him into Indian theatre and the then-nascent film industry.^[1] The film "Vidyapati" ("Master of Knowledge") was produced based on his recorded play in 1936, and Nazrul served as the music director for the film adaptation of Tagore's novel Gora. Nazrul wrote songs and directed music for Sachin Sengupta's bioepic play "Siraj-ud-Daula". In 1939, Nazrul began working for Calcutta Radio, supervising the production and broadcasting of the station's musical programmes. He produced critical and analytic documentaries on music, such as "Haramoni" and "Navaraga-malika". Nazrul also wrote a large variety of songs inspired by the raga Bhairav.^[30] Nazrul sought to preserve his artistic integrity by condemning the adaptation of his songs to music composed by others and insisting on the use of tunes he composed himself.^{[citation needed]}
Nazrul's wife Pramila Devi fell seriously ill in 1939 and was paralysed from waist down. To provide for his wife's medical treatment, he resorted to mortgaging the royalties of his gramophone records and literary works for 400 rupees.^[31] He returned to journalism in 1940 by working as chief editor for the daily newspaper "Nabayug" ("New Age"), founded by the eminent Bengali politician A. K. Fazlul Huq.^[31]
Nazrul also was shaken by the death of Rabindranath Tagore on 8 August 1941. He spontaneously composed two poems in Tagore's memory, one of which, "Rabihara" (loss of Rabi or without Rabi) was broadcast on the All India Radio. Within months, Nazrul himself fell seriously ill and gradually began losing his power of speech. His behaviour became erratic, and spending recklessly, he fell into financial difficulties. In spite of her own illness, his wife constantly cared for her husband. However, Nazrul's health seriously deteriorated and he grew increasingly depressed. He underwent medical treatment under homeopathy as well as Ayurveda, but little progress was achieved before mental dysfunction intensified and he was admitted to a mental asylum in 1942. Spending four months there without making progress, Nazrul and his family began living a silent life in India. In 1952, he was transferred to a mental hospital in Ranchi. With the efforts of a large group of admirers who called themselves the "Nazrul Treatment Society" as well as prominent supporters such as the Indian politician Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the treatment society sent Nazrul and Promila to London, then to Vienna for treatment.^[32] Examining doctors said he had received poor care, and Dr. Hans Hoff, a leading neurosurgeon in Vienna, diagnosed that Nazrul was suffering from Pick's disease. His condition judged to be incurable, Nazrul returned to Calcutta on 15 December 1953.^[32] On 30 June 1962 his wife Pramila died and Nazrul remained in intensive medical care.
On 24 May 1972, the newly independent nation of Bangladesh brought Nazrul to live in Dhaka with consent of the Government of India. In January 1976, he was accorded the citizenship of Bangladesh.^[1] Despite receiving treatment and attention, Nazrul's physical and mental health did not improve. In 1974, his youngest son, Kazi Aniruddha, an eminent guitarist died, and Nazrul soon succumbed to his long-standing ailments on 29 August 1976. In accordance with a wish he had expressed in one of his poems, he was buried beside a mosque on the campus of the University of Dhaka. Tens of thousands of people attended his funeral; Bangladesh observed two days of national mourning and the Indian Parliament observed a minute of silence in his honour.^[33]

Criticism and legacy

Nazrul's poetry is characterised by an abundant use of rhetorical devices, which he employed to convey conviction and sensuousness. He often wrote without care for organisation or polish. His works have often been criticized for egotism, but his admirers counter that they carry more a sense of self-confidence than ego. They cite his ability to defy God yet maintain an inner, humble devotion to Him.^[11] Nazrul's poetry is regarded as rugged but unique in comparison to Tagore's sophisticated style. Nazrul's use of Persian vocabulary was controversial but it widened the scope of his work.^[11] Nazrul's works for children have won acclaim for his use of rich language, imagination, enthusiasm and an ability to fascinate young readers.^[11] British government banned the magazine of Nazrul named Dhumketu because of publishing a political poem "Anondomoyeer Agomone" on September 26, 1922.^[34] Nazrul is regarded for his secularism.^[35] He was the first person to cite of Christians of Bengal in his novel Mrityukhudha. He was also the first user of folk terms in Bengali literature. Nazrul pioneered new styles and expressed radical ideas and emotions in a large body of work. Scholars credit him for spearheading a cultural renaissance in Muslim-majority Bengal, "liberating" poetry and literature in Bengali from its medieval mould. Nazrul was awarded the Jagattarini Gold Medal in 1945 — the highest honour for work in Bengali literature by the University of Calcutta — and awarded the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honours in 1960.^[36] The Government of Bangladesh conferred upon him the status of being the "national poet". He was awarded the Ekushey Padak by the Government of Bangladesh. He was awarded Honorary D.Litt. by the University of Dhaka. Many centres of learning and culture in India and Bangladesh have been founded and dedicated to his memory. The Nazrul Endowment is one of several scholarly institutions established to preserve and expound upon his thoughts and philosophy, as well as the preservation and analysis of the large and diverse collection of his works. The Bangladesh Nazrul Sena is a large public organization working for the education of children throughout the country.^[37] Nazrul Sanskriti Parishad is working with Nazrul 's life and works since 2000 in India.

Renowned Nazrul Sangeet singers

Renowned Nazrul Sangeet/Geeti singers include Firoza Begum, Suprava Sarkar, Angurbala, Indubala, Anjali Mukherjee, Jnanendra Prasad Goswami, Nilufar Yasmin (deceased), Manabendra Mukherjee (deceased),Kanika Majumder, Dipali Nag, Sukumar Mitra, Dhirendra Chandra Mitra, Dhiren Basu, Purabi Dutta, Nashid Kamal,Ferdous Ara, Fatema-tuz Zohra, Shahin Samad, Ramanuj Dasgupta and Susmita Goswami.
Nazrul's direct students who recorded for HMV were Juthika Roy, Girin Chakraborty, Binapani Devi, Dhiren Das, Suprava Sarkar, Harimoti, K. Mullick, Nitai Ghatak, Abbasuddin Ahmed, Angurbala, [[Kanan Devi] (deceased)], Dipali Nag, S. D. Burman (deceased), Mrinalkanti Ghosh, Geeta Basu, Kamal Dasgupta, Dhirendra Chandra Mitra, Jaganyay Mitra, Satya Chowdhury, Jnanendra Prasad Goswami, Kamala Jharia, Santosh Sengupta, Siddheswar Mukhopadhyay, Indubala, Chittaranjan Das

Lalon (Bengali: লালন), also known as Lalon Sain, Lalon Shah, or Lalon Fakir (c. 1774–1890),^[1][2] was a Bengali Baul saint, mystic, songwriter, social reformer and thinker. In Bengali culture he has become an icon of religious tolerance whose songs inspired and influenced many poets and social and religious thinkers including Rabindranath Tagore,^[3][4][5][6] Kazi Nazrul Islam,^[7] and Allen Ginsberg - though, as he "rejected all distinctions of caste and creed",^[3] he was both praised and criticized in his lifetime and after his death.^[8] His disciples mostly live in Bangladesh and West Bengal. He founded the institute known as Lalon Akhdah in Cheuriya, about 2 km. from Kushtia railway station. He is also regarded as the founder of the Baul music.

Contents

• 1 Early life
• 2 Philosophy
• 3 Works
• 4 Legacy and depictions in popular culture
• 4.1 Film and literature
• 5 Gallery
• 6 Notes
• 7 References
• 8 Further reading
• 9 External links

Early life

They are curious to know what Lalon's Jāt (the Bengali word for caste in the Hindu religion) is,
Circumcision tells a Muslim from others,
But what is the mark of his (Muslim) woman?
The Brahman is known by his thread,
How do I tell who is a Brahmani (Brahman woman)?

“

”

— Lalon

There are few reliable sources for the details of Lalon's early life as he was reticent in revealing his past, though there has been considerable speculation about his physical appearance, religious background etc.^[9] One account relates that Lalon, during a pilgrimage to Murshidabad with others of his native village, he contracted smallpox and was abandoned by his companions on the banks of the Ganges, from where Malam Shah and his wife Matijan, members of the weaver community in a Muslim-populated village, Cheouria, took him to their home to convalesce.^[10]
They gave Lalon land to live where he founded a musical group and remained to compose and perform his songs, inspired by Shiraj Sain, a musician of that village.

Philosophy

Everyone asks, "What Jāt does Lalon belong to in this world?"
Lalon answers, "What does Jāt look like?"
I've never laid eyes upon it.
Some use Malas (Hindu rosaries),
others Tasbis (Muslim rosaries), and so people say
they belong to different Jāts.
But do you bear the sign of your Jāt
when you come (to this world) or when you leave (this world)?

“

”

— Lalon^[11]
[Edited to give a better translation]

Lalon was against religious conflict and many of his songs mock identity politics that divide communities and generate violence. He even rejected nationalism at the apex of the anti-colonial nationalist movements in the Indian subcontinent. He did not believe in classes or castes, the fragmented, hierarchical society, and took a stand against racism. [see Jāti]
Lalon does not fit the "mystical" or "spiritual" type who denies all worldly affairs in search of the soul: he embodies the socially transformative role of sub-contintental bhakti and sufism.
He believed in the power of music to alter the intellectual and emotional state in order to be able to understand and appreciate life itself. The texts of his songs engage in philosophical discourses of Bengal, continuing Tantric traditions of the Indian subcontinent, particularly Nepal, Bengal and the Gangetic plains. He appropriated various philosophical positions emanating from Hindu, Jainist, Buddhist and Islamic traditions, developing them into a coherent discourse without falling into eclecticism or syncretism. He explicitly identified himself with the Nadiya school, with Advaita Acharya, Nityananda and Chaitanya. He was greatly influenced by the social movement initiated by Chaitanya against differences of caste, creed and religion. His songs reject any absolute standard of right and wrong and show the triviality of any attempt to divide people whether materially or spiritually.

Works

How does the Unknown bird go,
into the cage and out again,
Could I but seize it,
I would put the fetters of my heart,
around its feet.
The cage has eight rooms and nine closed doors;
From time to time fire flares out;.
Above there is a main room,
The mirror-chamber
O my heart, you are set on the affaires
of the cage;
(Yet) the cage was made by you,
made with green bamboo;
The cage may fall apart any day.
Lalon says,
The bird may work its way out
and fly off somewhere.

“

”

— Lalon's song translated by Brother James

Lalon composed numerous songs and poems, which describe his philosophy. It is said that he had composed about 10,000 songs of which 2,000-3,000 can be tracked down today while others are lost in time and hearts of his numerous followers. Most of his followers could not read or write either, so few of his songs are found in written form.
Among his most popular songs are Shob Loke Koy Lalon Ki Jat Shongshare, Khachar Bhitor Ochin Pakhi kyamne ashe jaay, Jat Gelo Jat Gelo Bole, Dekhna Mon Jhokmariay Duniyadari, Pare Loye Jao Amai, Milon Hobe Koto Dine/ Amar moner manusher shone, Ar Amare Marishne Ma, Tin Pagoler Holo Mela, etc.
The songs of Lalon aim at an indescribable reality beyond realism. He was observant of social conditions and his songs spoke of day-to-day problems in simple yet moving language. His philosophy was expressed orally, as well as through songs and musical compositions using folk instruments that could be made from materials available at home; the ektara (one-string musical instrument) and the duggi (drum).

Legacy and depictions in popular culture

In 1963, a mausoleum and research centre were built at the site of his shrine. Thousands of people come to the shrine (known in Bengali as an Akhra) twice a year, at Dol Purnima in the month of Falgun (February to March) and in October, on the occasion of the anniversary of his death. During these three-day song melas, people, particularly Muslim fakirs and Bauls pay tribute. Among the modern singers of Baul music Farida Parveen, Anusheh Anadil and Arup Rahee are internationally known for singing Lalon songs.

Film and literature

Lalon has been portrayed in literature, film, television drama, and in the theatre. Prosenjit portrayed Lalan Shah in the Moner Manush, a 2010 Bengali film based on the life and philosophy of Lalon Shah.^[12] The film was an adaptation of Sunil Gangopadhyay's biographical novel of the same name. This film directed by Goutam Ghose won the Best Film prize at the 41st International Film Festival of India held at Goa from 22 Nov to 02 Dec 2010. In 2004 Tanvir Mokammel directed the film Lalon in which Raisul Islam Asad portrayed Lalon Shah.

Born	1 October 1931 Rajshahi, Bangladesh
Died	26 July 1998 (aged 67)
Nationality	Bangladeshi
Occupation	Photographer
Known for	Fine Art Photography and Fine Art Photographic Movements in Bangladesh

Manzoor Alam Beg (Bengali: মনজুর আলম বেগ, 1 October 1931 - 26 July 1998) was a Bangladeshi photographer. He is a photographer of exceptional talent and international repute. He played a pioneering role in the modern art of photography movement in Bangladesh that began, by all accounts, with the setting up of the first photographic training centre known as Begart Institute of Photography (1960) and Bangladesh Photographic Society (1976) in Dhaka which he was the founding principal and former president. He was well known for his leadership qualities in organising photographers and photographic activities in a place that had practically no recent history of institutional or professional photography. Manzoor Alam Beg was honoured as ESFIAP at the FIAP ( The distinction "Excellence for Services Rendered" is awarded to those persons who have accomplished exceptional services over a long period for the benefit of The International Federation of Photographic Art ) 19th Congress in Germany,1987. He was honored with a title Aalokchitracharjo (The Chancellor of Photography) by BPS on behalf of Bangladeshi photographers community. He is considered as the Father of Fine Art Photography Movements in Bangladesh. Aalokchitracharjo (The Chancellor of Photography) Manzoor Alam Beg has been awarded the most prestigious Ekushey Podak given by Bangladesh government in 2007 besides 200 more national and international awards and honors.

Contents

• 1 Training and Education
• 2 Professional Careers
• 3 Books on photography
• 4 Honours
• 5 Awards
• 6 References
• 7 Bibliography

Training and Education

He received photographic training at the Technical Training Centre of the Pakistan Air Force in Karachi (1949). UNESCO training on microfilming in Karachi (1957). British government training on document reproduction at Hatfield College of Technology in UK (1968). Kodak Colour Film course at Kodak Photographic School at Harrow in London (1968). Diploma in photography from the British Institute of Reprographic Technology (1976). A training course for information centre managers organised by UNESCO and the Government of India in New Delhi (1980).

Professional Careers

He served in following organizations.

• United States Information Services (USIS), Dhaka 1955 - 1957.
• PANSDOC National Documentation Centre, Karachi 1957 - 1960.
• Bangladesh National Scientific and Technical Documentation Centre BANSDOC Dhaka 1963 - 1988.

Books on photography

1. Report on photography, Published in UK, 1968.
2. Adhunik Photography, Published in India, 1974.
3. Photography Formula, 1974.
4. Photography Digest, 1981.
5. Rangin Photo Printing, 1985.
6. Microfilm ki o kano, 1991.
7. Alokchitron shadakalo o Rangin, 1993.
8. Darkroom Solution, 1994.

Honours

• Honorary Fellow of the Bangladesh Photographic Society, 1983.
• Honorary life membership of WIF (Worldview International Foundations), 1982.
• Hon FPAD (The highest honour in photography) India, 1982.
• CINE-SEEK PODAK by the Cine - Seek Audio- visual club Dhaka, 1986.
• Awarded ASIIPC by the India International Photographic Council, 1991.
• FSIPC by the India International Photographic Council (IIPC), 1997.
• Photography Charcha honour at Calcutta Book Fair 1997.
• Alokchitracharjo (Chancellor of Photography) by the Bangladesh Photographic Society, 1998 .

Awards

He received Ekushey Padak in 2007. Among many of his awards, notables are following:

• The Cento Photo Contest Prize (Bronze) Ankara, 1968.
• ACCU UNESCO Prize, Japan, 1976.
• Hon Diploma, USSR, 1977.
• ACCU Rotary Prize, Japan, 1977.
• Two Hon Mention Prizes, Canada, 1977.
• First Prize Photo kina, Germany, 1978.
• First Prize, Pentax, Uk, 1986.
• First prize World and I, USA, 1986.
• First prize World and I, USA, 1987.

               Muhammad Shahidullah

Muhammad Shahidullah
Muhammad Shahidullah
Native name	মুহম্মদ শহীদুল্লাহ
Born	10 July 1885 Peyara, 24 Pargana, West Bengal, British India (now in India)
Died	13 July 1969 (aged 84) Dacca, East Pakistan (now Dhaka, Bangladesh
Ethnicity	Bengali
Education	PhD
Alma mater	Sorbonne University University of Calcutta
Occupation	Educationist, writer, philologist and linguist
Religion	Islam
Awards	Chevalier De L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (1967) Independence Day Award (1980)

Muhammad Shahidullah (popularly known as Doctor Muhômmod Shohidullah and also as Jvantapas;^[1] July 10, 1885 – July 13, 1969) was a Bengali educationist, writer, philologist and linguist.^[2][3]

Contents

• 1 Early life and education
• 2 Career
• 3 Family and legacy
• 4 Awards
• 5 See also
• 6 References

Early life and education

Young Muhammad Shahidullah

Shahidullah was born in Peyara village, 24 Pargana, West Bengal (now in India). His father, Mafizuddin Ahmed, was a warden of a shrine. Shahidullah passed his school final Entrance exam in 1904 from Howrah Zila School. In 1906 he passed the FA exam from Presidency College in Kolkata. He received the Bachelor of Arts degree with Honors in Sanskrit in 1910 from City College, Kolkata, and Master of Arts in 1912 in Comparative Philology from the University of Calcutta. He earned his PhD degree from Sorbonne University in 1928 for his research on the dialects of the Charyapada.^[1] He was the first Indian Muslim to receive this doctorate degree.

Career

Shahidullah began teaching in Jessore Zila School in 1908. After working as the Headmaster of Sitakunda High School for some time in 1914, he started to practice law at Bashirhat in 24 Parganas. He was elected Vice-Chairman of the town’s municipality. Later, he worked as Sharatchandra Lahiri Research Fellow (1919–21) under Dinesh Chandra Sen at the University of Calcutta and joined the University of Dhaka as a Lecturer in 1921 in Sanskrit and Bangla.
During his period at the University of Dhaka he did research on the origins of the Bengali language. In 1925, he presented his thesis that Bangla as a language originated from Gaudi or Magadhi Prakrit.

Family and legacy

Shahidullah had seven sons and two daughters. His third son A.K.M. Zakiyullah established a school named Dr. Shahidullah Gyanpith in Old Dhaka and a research library named Dr. Shahidullah Memorial Library and Language Research Center in Mirpur, Dhaka. One of his son, Abul Bayan M. Naqiyyullah, studied in George Washington University in Washington, DC. Another son Murtaja Baseer is a painter. A dormitory in University of Dhaka, Shahidullah Hall, was named after him.

Awards

Shaidullah received the award of Pride of Performance by the Pakistan government. He was also awarded Chevalier De L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government in 1967 for his research on language and literature.^[1]

   

                 Muhammed Zafar Iqbal

Muhammed Zafar Iqbal মুহম্মদ জাফর ইকবাল
Muhammed Zafar Iqbal at Borno Mela, Dhanmondi, Dhaka (Feb 2013)
Born	23 December 1952 (age 62) Sylhet, East Bengal, Pakistan (now in Bangladesh)
Nationality	Pakistani (1952–1971) Bangladeshi (1971–present)
Education	PhD in Physics from University of Washington
Alma mater	University of Dhaka University of Washington
Occupation	Physicist, writer, columnist
Spouse(s)	Yasmeen Haque (1978–present)
Children	Nabil Iqbal Yeshim Iqbal
Parents	Faizur Rahman Ahmed Ayesha Akhter Khatun
Relatives	Humayun Ahmed (brother) Ahsan Habib (brother) Sufia Haider (sister)[1] Momtaz Shahid (sister)[1] Rukhsana Ahmed (sister)[1]
Awards	Bangla Academy Award (2004)
Signature

Muhammed Zafar Iqbal (Bengali: মুহম্মদ জাফর ইকবাল; [muɦɔmmɔd̪ dʒafɔr ikbal] born 23 December 1952) is a Bangladeshi author of science fiction and children's literature. He is a professor of computer science and engineering and also head of the department of electrical and electronics engineering at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology.

Contents

• 1 Personal life
  • 1.1 Background
• 2 Career
  • 2.1 Academic
  • 2.2 Literary
  • 2.3 Political stance
• 3 Awards
• 4 Works
• 5 References
• 6 External links

Personal life

Background

Iqbal was born on 23 December 1952 in Sylhet.^[2][3] His father, Faizur Rahman Ahmed, was a police officer.^[4] His mother is Ayesha Akhter Khatun.^[4] In his childhood, he traveled various parts of Bangladesh because of his father's transferring job. Iqbal was encouraged to write by his father in early life.^[2]
Iqbal passed SSC exam from Bogra Zilla School in 1968 and HSC exam from Dhaka College in 1970. He earned his BSc in physics from Dhaka University in 1976. In the same year Iqbal went to University of Washington to obtain his PhD and earned the degree in 1982.^[2]
He married Yasmeen Haque in 1978.^[5] She is currently the Dean of the Life Science Department and Head of the department of Physics at SUST.^[6] They have two children – son Nabil and daughter Yeshim. Iqbal's elder brother, Humayun Ahmed was a writer and filmmaker.^[7] His younger brother, Ahsan Habib, is the editor of the satirical magazine, Unmad (Mad) and a cartoonist.^[8]

Career

Academic

After obtaining his PhD degree, Iqbal worked as a post-doctoral researcher at California Institute of Technology (Caltech) from 1983 to 1988. He then joined Bell Communications Research (Bellcore), a separate corporation from the Bell Labs (now Telcordia Technologies), as a research scientist.^[4] He left the institute in 1994.
Upon returning to Bangladesh he joined the faculty of the CSE department at SUST.^[2] Later he became the head of the EEE department.^[4] On 26 November 2013, Iqbal and his wife Professor Yasmeen Haque applied for resignation soon after the university authority had postponed the combined admission test for the SUST and Jessore Science & Technology University.^[9] However they withdrew their resignation letters on the next day after the authority decided to go on with holding combined admission tests.^[10]
He also serves as the Director of BTCL and Vice President of Bangladesh Mathematical Olympiad committee.^[4] Iqbal played a leading role in founding Bangladesh Mathematical Olympiad and popularized mathematics among Bangladeshi youths at local and international level. In 2011 he won Rotary SEED Award for his contribution in the field of education.^[11]

Literary

Iqbal started writing stories from a very early age. He wrote his first short story at the age of seven.^[2] While studying in Dhaka University Iqbal's story Copotronik Bhalobasa was published in a local magazine. Later he rewrote the story and published as collection of stories titled Copotronik Sukh Dukho.^[2]

Muhammed Zafar Iqbal with his wife, Yasmeen Haque

Political stance

Iqbal is known for his stance against Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh and has spearheaded criticism of its leaders, several of whom are undergoing trial at the International Crimes Tribunal for their role in Bangladesh liberation war 1971.^[12][13] Zafar Iqbal's father was allegedly killed by Jamaat leader Delwar Hossain Sayeedi.^[14] He came down heavily on a section of the media for their stand against holding the 10th parliamentary elections in Bangladesh on 5 January 2013, amid a boycott by the main opposition party, alleging that those who were calling for halting the electoral process were actually trying to ensure the participation of Jamaat-e-Islami in the election.^[15]
In support of the war crimes trials carried out at the premises of the International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh, he participated and featured prominently at the 2013 Shahbag protests.^[16]

Awards

• Shishu Academy Agrani Bank Shishu Shahitto Award 2001
• Quazi Mahbubulla Zebunnesa Award 2002
• Khalekdad Chowdhury Literary Award 2003
• Sheltech Liteary Award 2003
• Uro Child Literary Award 2004
• Md. Mudabber-Husne ara literary Award 2005
• Marcantile Bank Ltd. Award 2005
• One of the 10 living Eminent Bengali 2005
• American Alimony Association Award 2005
• Dhaka University Alimony Association Award 2005
• Sylhet Naittamoncho Award '2005
• Bangla Academy Literary Award 2005
• Uro Child Literary Award 2006
• Rotary SEED Award 2011^[4]

Works

Main article: Muhammed Zafar Iqbal bibliography

Iqbal is one of the pioneers^{[clarification needed]} of science fiction in the Bengali language. He mainly writes for younger readers. He is best known for his novels for youngsters and science fictions. He also wrote several non-fiction on physics and mathematics. He writes column in mainstream newspapers regularly.^[17]

                     Munier Choudhury

Munier Choudhury মুনীর চৌধুরী
Born	27 November 1925
Died	14 December 1971 (aged 46)
Education	MA (linguistics)
Alma mater	Aligarh Muslim University Dhaka University Harvard University
Notable awards	Bangla Academy Award (1962)
Spouse	Lily Choudhury
Children	Ahmed Munier Ashfaq Munier Asif Munier
Relatives	Ferdousi Mazumder (sister) Kabir Chowdhury (brother)

Munier Choudhury (Bengali: মুনীর চৌধুরী; 27 November 1925 – 14 December 1971), born in 1925 at Manikganj, Dhaka, hailed from Noakhali,^[1][2] was a Bangladeshi educationist, playwright, literary critic and political dissident.

Contents

• 1 Education
• 2 Career in education
• 3 Political movements
• 4 Important works
• 5 Awards
• 6 Death
• 7 Personal life
• 8 References
• 9 External links

Education

Choudhury graduated from Dhaka Collegiate School in 1941. He attended Aligarh Muslim University and later studied English literature for his Bachelor's degree (with honours, 1946) and Masters (1947) at the Dhaka University. In 1954, he completed a second Master's degree, summa cum laude, in Bengali. He was passionately devoted to Bengali language and culture, and courted imprisonment in 1952 for his participation in the Bengali language movement, where he had, along with some others, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as his prisonmate. While in jail he assiduously studied Bengali language and literature, appeared at the MA examination in Bengali from inside the jail and came out first in the first class.^[3] In 1958, he obtained another Masters in Linguistics from Harvard University.

Career in education

Munier Choudhury started his career in teaching at Brojolal College in Khulna and worked there between 1947 and 1950. Later he worked for some time at the Jagannath College in Dhaka in 1950. After that, he joined the Dhaka University in 1950 and taught both in English and Bengali language departments between 1950 and 1971. He became Reader in 1962 and Professor in 1970 and the Dean of the faculty of arts in 1971.^[2] Educated in the universities of Aligarh, Dhaka and Harvard, he first carved a name as a fine teacher of English literature. On his release from imprisonment, he started teaching Bengali at the University of Dhaka, later becoming the Chairman of the Department and the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, which posts he held till his death in 1971. Students flocked to his class, many from other departments,^[4] as he lectured in his inimitable fashion on Meer Mosharraf Hossain, Bankimchandra and Rabindranath, among others. To this day he is fondly remembered as an extraordinary teacher who was able to kindle in his students a genuine love for great literatures.^[3]

Political movements

Munier Choudhury actively participated in the Language Movement of 1952, and was imprisoned by the Pakistan government. He wrote his famous symbolic drama, Kabar (The Grave) in Bengali during his imprisonment. 'Kabar' is a translation of Irwin Shaw's 'Bury the Dead' written in English. He also fought against any type of cultural repression during the late 1950s and 1960s. In 1967, he protested the Pakistan government's ban on Tagore songs on radio and television. In the late 1960s there was a movement in Pakistan to replace the Bengali language alphabet with the Arabic alphabet. As a linguist and writer, Munier Choudhury protested this move to undermine the native language of East Pakistan. He actively participated in the non-co-operation movement during the early part of 1971 and renounced his award Sitara-e-Imtiaz (awarded by Pakistan Govt in 1966).

Important works

• Kabar (The grave), 1952 – a one act play about the Language Movement^[4]
• Raktakta Prantar (The bloody meadow), 1959 – play about the Third Battle of Panipat^[4]
• Mir-Manas, 1965 – literary critique of Mir Mosharraf Hossain's literature
• Munier Optima, 1965 – a Bengali keyboard layout design^[4]
• Ektala-Dotala (First ever Bengali drama telecast on TV), 1965^[4]
• Dandakaranya, 1966
• Chithi (The letter), 1966
• Palashi Barrack O Anyanya, 1969
• Tulanamulak Samalochana (Comparative critique), 1969
• Bangla Gadyariti (Bengali literary style), 1970

Awards

• Bangla Academy Prize, 1962
• Daud Prize, 1965
• Sitara-e-Imtiaz, 1966, awarded by Govt. of Pakistan

Death

Main article: 1971 killing of Bengali intellectuals

After the Pakistani army crackdown in 1971 in the Dhaka University area from which Munier Chowdhury luckily escaped like many, he moved to his parents' house, near Hatirpool. He became a totally dejected and broken man. Many of his student-like well-wishers requested him to come to the liberated areas. But unfortunately Munier Choudhury couldn't mentally adjust to the idea of fleeing from his beloved motherland. He preferred to stay back and surrendered to his 'fate'.^[1][2]
On 14 December 1971 Munier Choudhury, along with a large number of Bengali intellectuals, educators, doctors and engineers, were kidnapped from their houses and later tortured and executed by the Pakistan Army and its Bengali collaborators Al-Badr, Al-Shams, only 2 days before the end of the Bangladesh War. His dead body could not be identified.^[1][2]
A witness who survived the killing had narrated how he recognised Munier as he screamed while his fingers were chopped off. "Have mercy" that is all Munier had said. As this was being done the butcher said, "write your famous essays on Rabindranath Tagore." This happened in the infamous Physical Training College in Mohammadpur. That was the last that anyone saw of him.^[5]
Munier's body was never found.
On 3 November 2013, Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin, a Muslim leader based in London, and Ashrafuz Zaman Khan, based in the US, were sentenced in absentia after the court found that they were involved in the abduction and murders of 18 people – nine Dhaka University teachers including Munier Choudhury, six journalists and three physicians – in December 1971.^[6]

Personal life

Munier Choudhury is survived by his wife Lily Choudhury and sons Ahmed Munier and Asif Munier. His second son Ashfaq Munier, a cinematographer, was killed tragically in a road accident in 2011. Ahmed Munier is retired and previously worked for UN missions in Africa. Asif Munier is a human rights activist and works in the development sector. Asif Munier was a founder member of Projonmo Ekattor, a human rights group in Bangladesh, which initiated the building of the Rayer Bazar Smriti Shoudho (Rayer Bazar Memorial) in Dhaka. This memorial was built on the barren land on which the Pakistani army dumped the bodies of the intellectuals after murdering them. Projonmo Ekattor also campaigns for the trial of war criminals of 1971. Asif Munier also runs his own theatre group, Bongorongo, through which Munier Choudhury's plays are regularly enacted.

 

 

 

 

                    Monica Ali

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Monica Ali
Born	20 October 1967 (age 47) Dhaka, East Bengal (now Bangladesh)
Occupation	Writer, novelist
Nationality	British
Ethnicity	Bengali-English
Education	Philosophy, Politics and Economics
Alma mater	Wadham College, University of Oxford
Spouse	Simon Torrance
Children	Felix (son) Shumi (daughter)

Monica Ali (born 20 October 1967) is a Bangladeshi-born British writer and novelist. In 2003 she was selected as one of the "Best of Young British Novelists" by Granta magazine based on her unpublished manuscript; her debut novel, Brick Lane, was published later that year. It was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. It was adapted as a 2007 film of the same name.
She has published three additional novels.

Contents

• 1 Early life and education
• 2 Brick Lane
• 3 Reception
  • 3.1 Controversy
• 4 Film adaptation
• 5 Views
• 6 Personal life
• 7 Books
• 8 See also
• 9 References
• 10 Further reading
• 11 External links

Early life and education

Ali was born in Dhaka, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in 1967 to a Bangladeshi father and English mother. When she was three, her family moved to Bolton, England. Her father is originally from the district of Mymensingh.^[1] She went to Bolton School and then studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Wadham College, Oxford.

Brick Lane

Brick Lane – named after Brick Lane, a street at the heart of London's Bangladeshi community – follows the life of Nazneen, a Bangladeshi woman who moves to London at the age of 18, to marry an older man, Chanu. They live in Tower Hamlets. At first her English consists only of "sorry" and "thank you;" the novel explores her life and adaptations in the community, as well as the character of Chanu, and their larger ethnic community.

Reception

The Observer described Chanu as "one of the novel's foremost miracles: twice her age, with a face like a frog, a tendency to quote Hume and the boundless doomed optimism of the self-improvement junkie, he is both exasperating and, to the reader at least, enormously loveable."^[2] Geraldine Bedell wrote in The Observer that the "most vivid image of the marriage is of her [Nazneen] cutting her husband's corns, a task she seems required to perform with dreadful regularity. [Her husband] is pompous and kindly, full of plans, none of which ever come to fruition, and then of resentment at Ignorant Types who don't promote him or understand his quotations from Shakespeare or his Open University race, ethnicity and class module."^[3]
The novel was well received by critics in the United Kingdom and the United States, and shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize.

Controversy

The novel provoked controversy within the Bangladeshi community in Britain. Some groups thought Ali had negatively portrayed people from the Sylhet region, as they constitute the majority of the Bangladeshi immigrants living in the Brick Lane community.

Film adaptation

In 2007, the book was adapted as a film of the same name. Starring the Indian actress Tannishtha Chatterjee, the film was distributed both in the UK and internationally.
When production was underway in 2006, some of the Bangladeshi community opposed Ruby Films' intention to film parts of the novel in the Brick Lane area. They formed the "Campaign Against Monica Ali's Film Brick Lane.”
The writer and activist Germaine Greer expressed support for the campaign, writing in The Guardian:

"As British people know little and care less about the Bangladeshi people in their midst, their first appearance as characters in an English novel had the force of a defining caricature ... [S]ome of the Sylhetis of Brick Lane did not recognise themselves. Bengali Muslims smart under an Islamic prejudice that they are irreligious and disorderly, the impure among the pure, and here was a proto-Bengali writer with a Muslim name, portraying them as all of that and more."^[4]

Greer criticised Monica Ali's "lack of authenticity," as she had never spent much time in the Brick Lane community, and no longer spoke the Bengali language fluently. The writer Salman Rushdie criticised Greer for getting involved, saying that her statements were "philistine, sanctimonious, and disgraceful, but ... not unexpected."^[4]

Views

Ali opposed the British government's attempt to introduce the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006. She discussed this in her contribution to Free Expression Is No Offence, a collection of essays published by Penguin in 2005.

Personal life

Ali lives in South London with her husband, Simon Torrance, a management consultant. They have two children, Felix (born 1999) and Shumi (born 2001).

 

 

 

 

                            Muzharul Islam

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the writer, see Mazhar ul Islam.

Muzharul Islam
Born	25 December 1923 Murshidabad, British Raj
Died	15 July 2012 (aged 88)[1] Dhaka, Bangladesh
Nationality	Bangladeshi
Alma mater	University of Oregon Yale University AA School of Architecture
Parents	Professor Omdatul Islam Mrs.Zakia Khatoon
Awards	Grand Master Award, South Asian Architecture Award Ceremony Independence Day Award
Buildings	Art Institute Dhaka Jahangirnagar University Master Plan and designs Chittagong University master plan and designs Bangladesh National Archive

Muzharul Islam (Bengali: মাজহারুল ইসলাম; 25 December 1923 – 15 July 2012) was a Bangladeshi architect, urban planner, educator and activist. He is considered as the Grand Master of regional modernism in South Asia. Islam is the pioneer of modern architecture in Bangladesh and the father of Bengali modernism.^[2] Islam's style and influence dominated the architectural scene in the country during the 1960s and 70s, along with major US architects he brought to work in Dhaka.
As a teacher, architect, social and political activist, Islam set the course of architectural practice in the country not only through his own many varied works but also through being instrumental in inviting architects like Louis Kahn, Richard Neutra, Stanley Tigerman, Paul Rudolph, Robert Boughey and Konstantinos Doxiadis to work in Bangladesh.

Contents

• 1 Early life
• 2 Career
• 3 Awards
• 4 Notable works
• 5 Death
• 6 Publications
• 7 Quotes
• 8 See also
• 9 Sources
• 10 References
• 11 Further reading
• 12 External links

Early life

Muzharul Islam was born on 25 December 1923 in Murshidabad. He went to the United States in 1950 where he received his Bachelor degree in Architecture from University of Oregon. In 1956, he received a scholarship to study tropical architecture at the AA School of Architecture, London.^[3] In 1961, he completed his post-graduation under Paul Rudolph from Yale University.^[4] At Yale Stanley Tigerman was one of his classmates, and there he came in touch of Louis I Kahn.^[5] Muzharul Islam began his career by designing two buildings in the Shahbag area in 1955 – Dhaka University Library and Institute of Arts and Crafts(Art Institute Dhaka).^[6] Between 1958 and 1964, Islam was the Senior Architect of the Government of East Pakistan.^[4]

Career

Site Plan for Sher-e-Bangla Nagar

His most important work was borne when the Governor's Conference of Pakistan decided in 1959, under the leadership of President Ayub Khan, that Dhaka will be second capital of Pakistan.^[5] The government decided to build a capital complex at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka. Muzharul Islam was given to design Jatiyo Sangsad Bhaban (National Assembly Building of Bangladesh). But, he brought his teacher Louis Kahn into the project to do a significant work for future generation. Islam worked closely with him from 1965 to Kahn's death in 1973.
Along with Kahn, he also brought Paul Rudolph and Stanley Tigerman to work in Bangladesh, and three of them came to be known as the American Trio. Apart from the Trio, it was Islam's monumental style that dominated Bangladesh architecture from 1950s onwards.^[5]
His major works include – Jahangirnagar University, Chittagong University, Central Public Library, Charukala Institute, the Azimpur Estate, Rangmati township, and a number of Polytechnic Institutes.^[4] Islam designed the master plan of Dhaka City. He also created the logo for the government of Bangladesh.^[7]

You have to be a world man and a Bengali. It's impossible otherwise... When I mention standing on one's own soil... it is to find oneself, but not to find oneself and become stagnant. What I am seeking is to stand on one's own feet and then to proceed forward. If for that reason I have to take two steps backward to go one step forward. I have no problem with that. I think that there is no other way of moving forward.

“

”

--Quote above by Muzharul Islam states his philosophy.

Awards

• Institute of Architects, Bangladesh Gold Medal, 1993
• He was awarded the Honorable Fellowship, American Institute of Architects at the National convention of the Institute at Dallas, Texas in 1999.
• He was an honourable member of the Master Jury of the First Aga Khan Award for Architecture, Geneva, 1980.
• Islam has been a jury member for several national and international design competitions and awards including:
  • The Aga Khan Award for Architecture
  • design contest for Faisal Mosque competition in Islamabad
  • design contests for the headquarters building of the Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah
  • Headquarters building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building at Riyadh, which won Aga Khan Award for Architecture^[4]
• He was awarded Independence Day Award in 1999, the highest state award of Bangladesh.^[3][8]

A documentary film on Mazharul Islam named Tini(The Architect) was released by Institute of Architects Bangladesh in 2000, which was directed by Enamul Karim Nirjhar.

Notable works

Year	Project	Image	Location	Comments
1953–54	The Institute of Arts and Crafts /Art Institute Dhaka		Shahbag, Dhaka
	Dhaka University Library		University of Dhaka
	Bangladesh National Archives and Library		Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka
1962	Housing for class IV Employees		Azimpur Estate, Dhaka
1963–64	Railway Rehabilitation Zone		Khilgaon, Dhaka	Plan for the project
	Rangamati Town		Rangamati, CHT	Plan for the project
1963–65	BCSIR Laboratory Buildings		Dhanmondi, Dhaka
1964	National Institute of Public Administration Building		Shahbag, Dhaka
1965–71	Headquarters Building, Agricultural Development Corporation		Motijheel, Dhaka	14 storied
	5 polytechnic institutes		Rangpur, Bogra, Pabna, Sylhet and Barisal	In collaboration with Arch. Stanley Tigerman
	EFU Building (Jiban Bima Bhaban) Project		Motijheel, Dhaka	27 storied
	Road Research Laboratories		Dhaka, Bangladesh
1968–71	Chittagong University master plan and designs		Chittagong University, Chittagong	Designs for students' hostel, humanities building, science building, administrative building, readers' quarters, VC's quarters, professors' quarters, storage and godowns
	Housing for Ruppur Atomic Energy Complex		Savar, Dhaka
	Jahangirnagar University Master Plan and designs		Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka	Designs for students' hostel, readers quarters and class IV employees' quarters
1980–84	Jaipurhat Limestone and cement Project		Jaipurhat, Bangladesh	Master plan, housing for 200 officers, housing for 1700 employees, clinic and hospital, clinic and hospital, bazaar and mosque
	National Library		Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka
1987	Office Building for the World Bank		Dhaka, Bangladesh
1995	Garden City Project		Dhaka, Bangladesh	20 storied

Death

Muzharul Islam died in 15 July 2012 at 12.06 am in Dhaka, Bangladesh.^[9] He was aged 88.

Publications

Some publication featured Muzharul Islam:

• Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 22, 15th Editions 1986, page- 99.
• Architectural Review, London, April 1960, Page-155.
• Environments, Volume 19, Number 2, 1988, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, Page-55 to 60.
• Architecture + Design, New Delhi, India, May–June 1988, page- 26 to 32 & 36.
• Daily Sangbad, Dhaka, 23 December 1993, Page-12.
• Daily Bhorer Kagoj, Dhaka, 24 December 1993, Page-9.
• Daily Bhorer Kagoj, Dhaka, 7 March 1994, Page-12.
• Weekly Holiday, Dhaka, 31 December 1993, Page-6.
• Daily Star, Dhaka, August 2000.
• Lecturer, Exhibition of Works of Four Architects of the Indian Sub-Continent; New York, Philadelphia, 1997.
• Lecturer, Exhibition of Architecture in Bangladesh, “Pundranagar” to Sher-e-Bangla Nagar (350 B.C. to present time), 1997.
• An Architecture of Independence : The Making of Modern South Asia, 1997, University of Pennsylvania.
• The India International Centre Quarter: Monsoon 1997, Volume- 24, Number 2-3.
• Architect Muzharul Islam and Chicago Architect Stanly Tigerman did the elaborate study on typology and tectonics, ecology, climate and materials. Their study resulted in a major report, which was featured in the September 1968 issue of “Architectural Record".

 

 

 

 

                         Quamrul Hassan

Quamrul Hassan
Quamrul Hassan in 1955
Born	1921 Kolkata, British India
Died	1988 (aged 66–67) Dhaka, Bangladesh
Nationality	Bangladeshi
Awards	Independence Day Award (1979)

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Quamrul Hassan (Bengali: কামরুল হাসান, 1921–1988) was a Bangladeshi artist and a patriot. Hassan was born in Kolkata, India on 2 December 1921. In Bangladesh, Hassan's fame as an artist is perhaps only second to that of Zainul Abedin. Hassan is often referred to in Bangladesh as Potua, a word usually associated with folk artists, due to his down to earth style yet very modern in nature as he always added Cubism other than the folk style to his artworks. He was an artist who always tried to represent the culture of his country through his paintings. In addition of his artistic legacy, two of Hassan's work have come to be part of Bangladesh's political history. The first of this is a monstrous rendition of Yahya Khan, the Pakistani president who ordered genocide in Bangladesh. The second was just before his death, mocking the then dictator of Bangladesh, Hossain Mohammad Ershad. This sketch was titled Desh aaj bisshobeheyar khoppre (Our land is now in the hand of the champion of shamelessness).

Contents

• 1 Early life and contribution to Liberation War
• 2 Career
• 3 Death
• 4 Art
• 5 Awards and honors
• 6 References

Early life and contribution to Liberation War

Hassan was born in Kolkata, where his father, Muhammad Hashim, was superintendent of the a local Graveyard. He belonged to a conservative family and his father always opposed to his involvement in paintings. But Quamrul's determination and love for painting had defeated his father and he agreed on enrolling Quamrul to Calcutta Government Art School, in 1938, under the condition that young Quamrul had to pay for his own tuition fee. After his enrollment to the school, Quamrul kept himself busy with not only arts but with other activities such as sports and the Brotochari movement in 1939 and he also joined ARP during the First World War. He developed connections with the Froward Block, Gononatya Andolon (People's Theatre) and even with several leaders of the Communist Party, got involved with the task of mental development of children and teenagers and contributed to decoration of publications.
As a result of his involvement in multiple social and cultural activities, he finished his six year course in the Art School in nine years. Success was inevitable in all of these activities as an outcome of his complete sincerity. As a result of his ten-year-long physical training he secured first position in the B Group of the Inter College Bodybuilding competition in 1945.His skill enabled him to become the 'Nayak' (commander) of the Brotochari movement. His involvement in the movement exposed him to the unimaginable strength inherent in Bengali culture.This experience impelled him to take the responsibility of nurturing Bengali culture throughout his life.
After the partition of India, Quamrul, who was still a student, along with his mother and siblings moved to Dhaka, the then capital of the eastern part of the newly founded Pakistan.
His hatred for Pakistan was ignited by the incident of 21 February 1965. Ever since then he completely engaged himself in the campaigns against the Pakistanis. He got involved in the non-cooperation movement of March, 1971 and was nominated the chairman of the Resistance Committee of the Hatirpul area. On 23 March, he put up at least ten posters portraying the monstrous face of Yahya Khan which inspired the freedom Fighters greatly. On 25 March 1971, trenches were dug out late night at Hatirpul area under his leadership. Then he left for Kolkata in the first week of April where he arranged an art exhibition in favor of the liberation war. He came back to Dhaka during the last half of December to help develop the newly liberated homeland. He also designed the Flag of Bangladesh.^[1]

Career

After the Partition of India, together with Zainul Abedin, he established the Government Institute of Fine Arts (at present, the Institute of Fine Arts) in 1948.During liberation war he served as the Director of the Art Division of the Information and Radio Department of the Bangladesh Government in exile.

Death

Hassan died on 2 February 1988 after suffering a massive heart attack while attending the National Poetry Festival. He was buried beside the central mosque of the University of Dhaka.

Art

Uki, gouache.

Getting inspired from Zainul Abedin, Jamini Roy, Quamrul Hassan chose to give the folk art tradition a breath of life by incorporating modern ideas in it. He always borrowed the two-dimensionality of pata paintings of fork art in his work, he also attempted to give the quality of three-dimensionality in it. Instead of using mixed colours, in most of his paintings he used primary colors like pata painters.Sometimes, like folk artists, he applied flat colors without creating tonal variations. However, he has attempted to create color perspective by using various colors in one plane, so that a sense of height, distance can be created in the image. This technique was inspired from Henri Matisse. Patriotism was born in him due to his involvement in folk art. Some of his notable works are: Goon Tana, The Happy Return, Biral, Nabanna, Gorur Snan etc. All of these paintings highlight the lives of lower-class people which has been the topmost priority of his paintings.
Hassan was a versatile artist working in practically all media-oil, gouache, watercolors, pastel, etching, woodcut, linocut, pen and pencil. He also worked with woodcuts, specially after the famine of 1974, works that expressed his rage and anger. Quamrul used snakes, jackals and owls to portray the evil in humans, both in his political work and his famine work.
Rural women and their plight is another theme Hassan has repeatedly worked on. His treatment of women emphasize the bond between them, most of his paintings of women are of a group of women, only rarely a solo painting can be found. However, he mixes romanticism with realism; the strong curved lines and the contrasted use of color contribute to a sensuous appeal that blunts the edges of harsh reality. His paintings of women can be divided into three phases: the 50s Love and Premarital stage, the end of 50s and the beginning of 70s the happy conjugal life, and the 70s and the 80s the time of marital separation. First stage marks the memories of his late mother. The paintings of the stage were made simply from the painters memories of his lost mother but in an abstracted form. Like the painting three women gossiping over a topic. It was actually his mother gossiping to two other women. Second stage marks the time when he was in love with his wife and they together had a daughter. The notable works of the period can be Afterbath, Jalkeli (waterplay), Loneliness etc. And the third stage marks the time when he and his wife were separated due to some reasons and at this period instead of highlighting some emotions that are visible in his other paintings, he kept on drawing female nudes.
His political paintings also deserve some mention as they reflected his political understanding and love for the country. Some of his notable works under the category are: Freedom Fighters, Female Freedom Fighters, Gonohatyar Agey O Gonohatyar Porey ( Before and after the mass killing) etc. His series titled Image'74 shows his political view which portrays the tendency of sacrificing morals and ethics over some personal gains among politicians, bureaucrats and the businessmen of the liberated country.

Awards and honors

• President's Gold Medal (1965)
• Independence Day Award (1979)
• Bangladesh Charu Shilpi Sangsad Honour (1984)
• Fellow of Bangla Academy (1985)

 

 

 

 

                        Rafiq Azad

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rafiq Azad (Born as Rafikul Islam) (1943-) is a prominent poet of Bengali literature^[1] and is the author of 25 collections of poetry including his Collected Poems.^[2][3][4] He was a freedom fighter during Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. His poetry reflected his experience of the war. His Famous poem is Bhat De Haramzada.
Mr. Azad is currently the Director of National Book Center of Bangladesh. He previously worked as the director of the Upajati Shangishkriti Kandra, Netrakona in the 1990s and taught at the Jahangir Nagar University, Dhaka, as a visiting professor. Rafiq Azad is one of the leading Poets of Bangladesh.^[5] He is one of the Recipients of Bangla Academy Award in 1984.^[6] In 2013, Azad received Ekushey Padak, one of Bangladesh's highest civilian award, for his contributions in language and literature.^[7]

Books

• Asombhaber Payae
• Semabadha Jalae, Simito Shobuja
• Ekjibona
• Haturier Nichae Jibon
• Porikirno Panchala Amer Swadesh
• Khub Bashi Durea Nay
• Khamakaro Bahoman Hay Udar Omiyo Batas
• Karo Ashuro Pat
• Pagolar Thekay Pramikar Chiti
• Apar Arannya
• Moulobir Mon Bholo Nay
• Poems on Love Environment and Other Difficulties^[8]

 

 

 

 

 

                      Rashid Askari

.

Rashid Askari
Rashid Askari in June 2013
Born	1 June 1965 (age 49) Rangpur
Occupation	Academic, writer

Rashid Askari (Bengali: রাশিদ আসকারী, born: 1 June 1965) is a Bengali-English writer, columnist, and academic in Bangladesh.

Contents

• 1 Early life
• 2 Career
• 3 Writing style
• 4 Bibliography
  • 4.1 Books
  • 4.2 Articles
• 5 References

Early life

Rashid Askari was born in Ashkarpur,Mithapukur,Rangpur in 1965. In 2005 he was awarded a PhD on Nirad C. Chaudhuri and Indian writing in English from the University of Pune.

Career

Dr. Askari joined Kushtia Islamic University as a lecturer in English in 1990. He became a professor in 2005 and was head of the English department more than once. Recently he was elected "secretary general of Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers' Association for 2014".^[1]

Writing style

An unsigned profile in The Kushtia Times stated that Askari writes "both Bengali and English with equal ease and efficiency".^[2] Bangladeshi novelist and critic Syed Manzoorul Islam notes: "He writes witty, racy stories with surprisingly serious undertones. Picking real-life events from the remote areas and the marginal people of the country and weaving them into various fictional forms are the hallmarks of his storytelling. ... Though not new in a ground-breaking way, his stories are both intense and original. The overall tone of his language is gently sarcastic ...".^[3]

Bibliography

Books

• The Dying Homeland, a collection of essays in Bengali, Dhaka-1996.
• Indo-English Literature and Others, a collection of literary and critical essays in Bengali, Dhaka-1996.
• Today's Folktale, a collection of short stories in Bengali, Dhaka-1997.
• Deconstructing Thoughts, a collection of critical essays in Bengali, Dhaka-2001.
• Postmodern Literary and Critical Theory, a book on literary and critical essays in Bengali, Dhaka-2002 with an introduction by Fakrul Alam.
• The Wounded Land: Peoples, Politics, Culture, Literature, Liberation War, War Crimes, and Militancy in Bangladesh. Dhaka: Pathak Shamabesh. 2011.
• Nineteen seventy one and other stories: a collection of short stories. Bangladesh: Shamabesh. 2012. ISBN 9789848866436.

Articles

• Nineteen seventy one-a story published in the JPCS (Journal of Post-Colonial Cultures and Societies) Wright State University, Ohio-USA. 'Nineteen seventy one'
• Lottery-a story published in the CLRI (Contemporary Literary review, India). 'Lottery'
• Jihad-a story published in the CLRI (Contemporary Literary review India, print edition-Jan 2012 'Jihad' ).
• Locked-in-syndrome-a story published in the CLRI (Contemporary Literary review India). 'Locked-in-syndrome'
• War crimes and criminals-an article published in the Brunei Times. 'War crimes and criminals'
• Eve-teasing in Bangladesh: Crime and punishment-an article published in the African Herald Express. "Eve-teasing in Bangladesh: Crime and punishment",
• Psychological torture on women and the legal cure-an article published in the African Herald Express. "Psychological torture on women and the legal cure",
• Population explosion and the fate of mankind-an article published in the African Herald Express. "Population explosion and the fate of mankind",
• Bangladesh's conquest of the sea: a daunting prospect-an article published in the African Herald Express. "conquest of the sea: a daunting prospect"
• Future of literature: Global Art-Malady and its Consequences-an article published in the Lit Search, Volume 1, Number 1, and December 2011: ISSN: 2277-6990(Print). "Future of literature: Global Art-Malady and its Consequences"
• 'Historic 21 February and the birth of a nation' an article published in the African Herald Express. http://africanheraldexpress.com/blog7/2013/02/17/historic-21st-february-and-the-birth-of-nation-by-rashid-askari/
• The biggest industrial disaster in Bangladesh-an article published in the African Herald Express. 'The biggest industrial disaster in Bangladesh'