Asad Chowdhury (born 11 February 1943) is a poet, writer, translator, radio, television personality and journalist, as well as a cultural activist in Bangladesh. He won

Ekushey Padak Ekushey Padak ( bn, একুশে পদক; lit. "Twentyfirst Award") is the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, introduced in memory of the martyrs of the Bengali Language Movement of 1952. The award is given to recognize contribut ...

in 2013 and

Bangla Academy Literary Award The Bangla Academy Literary Award ( bn, বাংলা একাডেমি সাহিত্য পুরস্কার; ''Bangla Academy Shahitya Puroshkar''), is given by the Bangla Academy of Bangladesh in recognition of creative genius i ...

in 1987.

Early life and family

Choudhury was born on 11 February 1943, to an aristocratic

Bengali Muslim Bengali Muslims ( bn, বাঙালি মুসলমান; ) are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising about two-thirds of the global Bengali population, they are the sec ...

family known as the

Zamindars A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as a ...

Ulania Ulania ( bn, উলানিয়া) is a Union of Mehendiganj Upazila in the District and Division of Barisal, Bangladesh. In Ulania town there are the ancient ruins of the palaces, mosques of a local Lord (called ''Jamidar'' in Bengali). 'The ...

Mehendiganj Mehendiganj is a town in Barisal District in the division of Barisal, Bangladesh. It is the administrative headquarter and urban centre of Mehendiganj Upazila Mehendigonj ( bn, মেহেন্দিগঞ্জ) is an Upazila of Barisal Di ...

, then located under the

Backergunge District Backergunge, Backergunje, Bakarganj, or Bakerganj was a former district of British India. It was the southernmost district of the Dacca Division. The district was located in the swampy lowlands of the vast delta of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra r ...

of the Bengal Province. His ancestor, Shaykh Muhammad Asad Ali, arrived migrated from

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

Ayodhya Ayodhya (; ) is a city situated on the banks of holy river Saryu in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Ayodhya, also known as Sāketa, Saketa, is an ancient city of India, the birthplace of Rama and ...

, later settling in the Bengali city of

Murshidabad Murshidabad fa, مرشد آباد (, or ) is a historical city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located on the eastern bank of the Bhagirathi River, a distributary of the Ganges. It forms part of the Murshidabad district. During ...

. Ali's great great great grandson Muhammad Hanif served as a military commander under

Shaista Khan Mirza Abu Talib (22 November 1600 – 1694), better known as Shaista Khan, was a general and the subahdar of Mughal Bengal. A maternal uncle to the emperor Aurangzeb, he acted as a key figure during his reign. Shaista Khan initially governed ...

, the Mughal governor of

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

. He was noted to have contributed to the suppression of Arakanese and

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

pirates in the

Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line between ...

. Hanif then entered the greater Barisal region where he served as the

Jamadar Jemadar or jamadar is a title used for various military and other officials in the Indian subcontinent. Etymology The word stems from Urdu (), which derives through Persian ''jam'dar'' from Arabic ''jamā‘a(t)'' 'muster' + Persian ''-dār'' ...

of the Sangram Fort in Govindapur and settled in the village of Tetulia, Hizla. The family were later endowed the title of

Choudhury Chowdhury is a title of honour, usually hereditary, originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is an adaption from Sanskrit. During the Mughal rule, it was a title awarded to eminent people, while during British rule, the term was associated ...

, and from his descendants, Muhammad Taqi migrated from the Tetulia Jamadar Bari to the village of Ulania. His son, Hasan Raja, was Asad Chowdhury's great grandfather. Hasan Raja and his two brothers, Naya Raja and Kala Raja, became notable as traders of

areca nut ''Areca'' is a genus of 51 species of palms in the family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia and India, across Southeast Asia to Melanesia. The generic name ''Areca'' is derived from a name u ...

, salt and rice, and built strong relationships with the Marwari merchants of

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

during the

Company Raj Company rule in India (sometimes, Company ''Raj'', from hi, rāj, lit=rule) refers to the rule of the British East India Company on the Indian subcontinent. This is variously taken to have commenced in 1757, after the Battle of Plassey, when ...

. The three brothers established the ports of Lalganj, Aliganj and Kaliganj, and with their amassed wealth, established the ''

zamindari A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as a ...

'' of Idilpur. Raja's son was Majid Chowdhury, whose son was Eslam Chowdhury, whose son Muhammad Arif Chowdhury was Asad Choudhury's father.

Education and career

Chowdhury completed his master's degree in Bengali in 1964 from the

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...

. He started his profession as a lecturer in Bengali language and literature at Brahmanbaria College in 1973. During the liberation war of Bangladesh, he was a contributor and broadcaster of

Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra ( bn, স্বাধীন বাংলা বেতার কেন্দ্র, lit=Free Bengal Radio Centre) was the radio broadcasting centre of Bengali nationalist forces during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1 ...

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

. He has also been assistant editor in “ The Joybangla” (Kalkata, 1971) and in “The Daily Janapada” (Dhaka, February 1973). He was a correspondent for The Daily Purbodesh from 1968 to 1971. He served as the director at the

Bangla Academy The Bangla Academy ( bn, বাংলা একাডেমি, ) is an autonomous institution funded by the Bangladesh government to foster the Bengali language, literature and culture, to develop and implement national language policy and to d ...

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

and worked as an editor at the

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

service of

Deutsche Welle Deutsche Welle (; "German Wave" in English), abbreviated to DW, is a German public, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the German federal tax budget. The service is available in 32 languages. DW's satellite television service con ...

after his retirement. Chowdhury is a life member of the

Asiatic Society of Bangladesh The Asiatic Society of Bangladesh is a non political and non profit research organisation registered under both Society Act of 1864 and NGO Bureau, Government of Bangladesh. The Asiatic Society of Bangladesh was established as the Asiatic Society ...

and a fellow of

, Dhaka, as well as being the ex-Vice President of ''The Radio and TV Artists Association''. He has held many other positions over his life, including: * Life member of Bigana Samskriti Parshad, Dhaka * Life member of Bhasha Sammmiti, Dhaka * Member of the Presidium Jatyo Kabita Utsabe, Dhaka * Founder, President of Deutsche Banglische Geselschaft E.V. Bonn, Koln, Germany Ex-Member, R.F.F.U. * Founder, Vice-President of Chandradeep, Dhaka * Founder, Vice-President of the Bangladesh Writers Club, Dhaka * An associated Member of the National Press Club, Dhaka * Founder President of the Bengali-Urdu Sahitya Foundation

Publications

Poems

* Tabak Deya Pan, 1975 * Bitto Nai Besat Nai, 1976 * Ekka Dokka, 1980 * Joler Madhye Lekhajokha, 1982 * Je Pare Paruk, 1983 * Modhya Math Theke, 1984 * Megher Julum Pakhir Julum, 1987 * Nadio Bibastro Hoi, 1992 * Premer Kabita, 1992 * Garbo Amar Anek Kichur, 1994 * Tan Bhalobasher Kabita, 1996 * Batash Jemon Parchito, 1998 * Brishtir Sansare Ami Keo Noi 1998 * Kichu Phool Ami Niviye Diechi, 2003 * Prem o Prakritr Kobita, 2003 * Barir Kache Asri Nagar, 2003 (translation of the contemporary Urdu poets)

Folk tales

* Teen Rasarajer Adda, 1998 * Vin Desher Lok Kahini, 1998 * John Henry, 2001 * Chotother Mojar Golpo, 2001 * Annya Desher Lok-Kahini, 2004

Other

* Kon Alokar Phool, 1982 (essay) * Rajanikanta Sen, 1989 (biography) * Kabita Samagra, 2000 * Maichalengelo, 2001 (biography)

Translations

Chowdhury's publications have been translated into English, French, German, Hindi, Urdu, Malayalam and published in the US, Canada, UK, France, India, and Pakistan.

Cassettes

* Padavali (1981) * Moder Garab Moder Asha (1985) * Sangbarta (1989) * Premer Kabira (1992)

Radio and television production

Chowdhury conducted Kathakali, a weekly program from 1973 to 1981, and prepared manuscripts for, conducted and participated in many programs of Radio Bangladesh.

Other activities

Chowdhury participated in poetry sessions and recitations arranged by Bangla Academy, German Culture Institute, American Culture Centre, Alliance Francaise, Russian Cultural Centre, Iranian Cultural Centre, Islamic Foundation, as well as other cultural organizations of Bangladesh. He delivered a keynote at a seminar, organised by Afro-Asian More recently, he has read poems at a festival organised by the Bangladesh Association in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

in 2000, and attended Mukti Judha Uthsab in Agartala, India in January 2001.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chowdhury, Asad 1943 births Living people Bangladeshi male poets Recipients of the Ekushey Padak Recipients of Bangla Academy Award Recipients of Mazharul Islam Poetry Award Bangladeshi people of Iranian descent