Hena Das (; February 12, 1924July 20, 2009) was a Bangladeshi women's right activist and leftist. She was involved in Nankar Movement in 1948 and

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...

in 1971. In 2001 she was awarded

Begum Rokeya Padak Begum Rokeya Padak, named after Begum Rokeya, is a Bangladeshi national honour conferred on individual women for their exceptional achievement. The award is given by the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs of the Government of Bangladesh. The ...

by the

Government of Bangladesh The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ সরকার — ) is the central executive government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Con ...

for empowering women and raising women's issues.

Early life and education

Das was born in

Sylhet Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট) is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of the Sylhet Division. Located on the north bank of the Surma River at the eastern tip of Bengal, Sylhet has a subtropical climate an ...

town to her father lawyer Roy Bahadur Satishchandra Datta and her mother Manorama Datta. She passed matriculation examination in 1940 from Government Agragami Girls' High School (later Pilot School), intermediate exam in 1942, and obtained bachelor's degree from Sylhet Mahila College in 1947. She earned her master's degree in

Bangla Bangla (Bengali: বাংলা) may refer to: *Bengali language, an eastern Indo-Aryan language *The endonym of Bengal, a geographical and ethno-linguistic region in South Asia *''Bangla-'', a prefix indicating Bangladesh Businesses and organ ...

in 1966 from

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 ...

Career

Das joined

All India Communist Party The All India Communist Party (AICP) was a communist party in India. It was formed after a split in the Communist Party of India in 1980, by a section of CPI cadres dissatisfied with the political changes that occurred during the 1978 Bhatinda con ...

in 1942 and later was involved with its successor

Communist Party of Bangladesh The Communist Party of Bangladesh ( bn, বাংলাদেশের কমিউনিস্ট পার্টি) is a Marxist–Leninist communist party in Bangladesh. History After the partitioning of India in 1947, during the 2nd ...

(CPB). She got involved with the Teachers' Association in 1978 and was the elected general secretary and vice president for 14 years. She served as one of the members of the first education commission headed by

Muhammad Qudrat-i-Khuda Muhammad Qudrat-i-Khuda ( – 3 November 1977) was a Bangladeshi organic chemist, educationist and writer. He founded the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. From 1969 till 1972, he served as the president of the Pakistan ...

. Das served as the President of ''Bangladesh Mohila Parishad (BMP)'' for eight years after the death of

Begum Sufia Kamal Begum Sufia Kamal (20 June 1911 – 20 November 1999) was a Bangladeshi poet, feminist leader, and political activist. She took part in the Bengali nationalist movement of the 1950s and civil society leader in independent Bangladesh. She led fe ...

in 1999. Das died on July 20, 2009, in

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) is a graduate medical university in Bangladesh. It was established in 1965. The university offers postgraduate degrees only, not offering undergraduate medical or dental degrees. History Est ...

. She was cremated with state honor in

Narayanganj Narayanganj ( bn, নারায়ণগঞ্জ ''Naraeongônj'') is a city in central Bangladesh. It is in the Narayanganj District, about southeast of the capital city of Dhaka, and has a population of about 2 million. It is the 6th larges ...

Personal life

In 1948 Das married another communist leader Rohinee Das. They had a daughter Champa Zaman.

Works

* ''Smritimoy Dingulo'' (2004) * ''Amar Shikkha O Shikkhokota Jibon'' * ''Smritimoy Ekattor'' * ''Pancham Purush'' * ''Char Purusher Kahini''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Das, Hena 1924 births 2009 deaths Bangladeshi feminists University of Dhaka alumni Recipients of Begum Rokeya Padak