Ghatak Pakhi Bhai is a

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( bn, বাংলাদেশী ) are the citizens of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centered on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay. Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the ...

matchmaker and

spiritual teacher This is an index of religious honorifics from various religions. Buddhism Christianity Eastern Orthodox The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Protestantism Catholicism Hinduism Islam Judaism ...

who have a matrimonial agency in the country. Through him the profession of matchmaking became popular in Bangladesh and he maintained a monopoly in this business for thirty decades in the country.

Early life

Ghatak Pakhi Bhai was born in 1943 in

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 ...

(now

Barisal District Barisal District, officially spelled Barishal District from April 2018, is a district in south-central Bangladesh, formerly called Bakerganj district, established in 1797. Its headquarters are in the city of Barisal, which is also the headqua ...

, Bangladesh). He dropped out one year before his

matriculation examination A matriculation examination or matriculation exam is a university entrance examination, which is typically held towards the end of secondary school. After passing the examination, a student receives a school leaving certificate recognising academi ...

and couldn’t continue his education. In the 60s, he joined the

Khulna Newsprint Mills Limited Khulna Newsprint Mills Limited () was a Bangladesh government owned newsprint company and factory. It was the largest newsprint factory in Bangladesh. History Khulna Newsprint Mills Limited was established in 1959 in Khalishpur Industrial Area, Kh ...

. In 1967, he succeeded in matching a colleague there, which was his first job. Since then he started matchmaking. In 1971 he became physically ill and had to undergo an operation in Barisal Medical College. In 1973 he was diagnosed with an

ulcer An ulcer is a discontinuity or break in a bodily membrane that impedes normal function of the affected organ. According to Robbins's pathology, "ulcer is the breach of the continuity of skin, epithelium or mucous membrane caused by sloughing o ...

during the operation and was declared unfit, leaving him jobless.

Career

After 1973 he moved from Barisal to

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 ...

. Taking shelter in a boat at the

Port of Dhaka The Port of Dhaka is a major river port on the Buriganga River in Dhaka, the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. The port is located in the southern part of the city. It is Bangladesh's busiest port in terms of passenger traffic. The port has s ...

, he started offering matchmaking services for money. Then he started to be known among everyone due to his work. As his work required him to move quickly from one place to another, people started comparing him to a bird and started calling him "Ghatak Pakhi Bhai" (). After gaining recognition, he started conducting his activities from hotel rooms. On someone's advice, he placed an advertisement in ''

The Daily Ittefaq ''The Daily Ittefaq'' ( bn, দৈনিক ইত্তেফাক, translit. ''Doinik Ittefak'') is a Bengali-language daily newspaper. Founded in 1953, it is the oldest newspaper, and one of the most circulated newspapers in Bangladesh. Thi ...

'' in 1983. Then he moved out of hotel and started working in a rented house. In 1985, he rented an office for his work in the Eastern Plaza shopping complex, which is now the address of his matchmaking agency. Around 2005 he started using internet and information technology for his matrimony agency which further expanded his business. On 28 October 2019, the

National Board of Revenue The National Board of Revenue (NBR) ( bn, জাতীয় রাজস্ব বোর্ড) is the Central Authority for Tax Administration in Bangladesh. It is a Statutory Authority attached with the Internal Resources Division of Ministry ...

sent letters to the banks asking for bank account details of Ghatak Pakhi Bhai. Although earlier his matchmaking business was doing well but around 2019 his income has decreased due to people turning away from matchmakers due to which he is struggling to pay his staff. Era of digitalisation was another cause behind the downturn of his business. According to the 2021 report, Ghatak Pakhi Bhai has succeeded in arranging at least 18,000 marriages in his matchmaking career.

Personal life

He got married for the first time in 1960 in an

arranged marriage Arranged marriage is a type of marital union where the bride and groom are primarily selected by individuals other than the couple themselves, particularly by family members such as the parents. In some cultures a professional matchmaker may be us ...

. He and his wife have four sons and two daughters. As his first wife was ill, he later married a widow who came to his matrimonial agency to find a husband. He and his second wife have a daughter.

In the media and legacy

Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...

published a news report on Ghatak Pakhi Bhai, referring to him as "Bangladesh's love guru".

Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse (AFP) is a French international news agency headquartered in Paris, France. Founded in 1835 as Havas, it is the world's oldest news agency. AFP has regional headquarters in Nicosia, Montevideo, Hong Kong and Washington, D.C ...

referred him as "Bangladesh's national cupid". *A drama serial, titled after him, has been directed by Debashish Barua.

References

{{reflist 1943 births Living people Matchmakers People from Barisal District People of British India