Iqbal Bahar Choudhury (born 1940) is a Bangladeshi news presenter,

elocutionist Elocution is the study of formal speaking in pronunciation, grammar, style, and tone as well as the idea and practice of effective speech and its forms. It stems from the idea that while communication is symbolic, sounds are final and compelli ...

and voice actor. He served as the head of the Bangla Service,

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...

during 1972–2010.

Family background and early life

Choudhury was born in 1940. His father,

Habibullah Bahar Chowdhury Habibullah Bahar Chowdhury (1906 – 15 April 1966) was a politician, journalist, sportsman and writer from erstwhile East Bengal, now Bangladesh, who served in the political spheres of British India and Pakistan. Early life and education Chow ...

, was a politician and writer from

East Bengal ur, , common_name = East Bengal , status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan , p1 = Bengal Presidency , flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg , s1 = East ...

. His mother,

Anwara Bahar Chowdhury Anwara Bahar Chowdhury (13 February 1919 – 27 October 1987) was a Bangladeshi social activist and writer. Background and education Chowdhury was admitted to Sakhawat Memorial Girls' High School, established by women rights activist Begum Ro ...

(1919–1987), was an activist and writer. She was one of the founders of Bulbul Academy of Fine Arts (BAFA) in Dhaka. In the early 1960s, she worked as the deputy leader of a cultural delegation to Iran, Iraq and the former Soviet Union. Iqbal has three sisters - Selina Bahar Zaman, Nasreen Shams and Tazeen Chowdhury. Choudhury began broadcasting in 1949, from Nazimuddin Road in

Old Dhaka Old Dhaka ( bn, পুরান ঢাকা, Puran Dhaka) is a term used to refer to the historic old city of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. It was founded in 1608 as Jahangirabad or Jahangirnagar ( bn, জাহাঙ্গীরনগ� ...

for

Radio Pakistan Radio Pakistan serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate Radio Pakistan's founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in Pakistan. The network was established on 14 August ...

Dhaka. Along with his sister, Selina, he performed in a weekly programme ''Khela Ghor''. While he was an economics student at 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 acted in the stage plays including ''"Eureka"''. He graduated from the university in 1963.

Career

Chowdhury took part in radio plays with actors like

Khan Ataur Rahman Khan Ataur Rahman (known as Khan Ata; 11 December 1928 – 1 December 1997) was a Bangladeshi film actor, director, producer, screenplay writer, music composer, and singer, best known for his role in the film ''Jibon Theke Neya'' (1970). He rec ...

Golam Mustafa Golam Mustafa (2 March 1935 – 20 February 2003) was a Bangladeshi actor. Early life and career Mustafa first acted in a play named ''Pallimangal'' in Barisal in 1945. Filmography * ''Chanda'' - 1962 * ''Binimoy'' - 1970 * ''Dhire Bohe M ...

, Nurunnahar Fyzennesa, Lily Chowdhury and Kafi Khan at Radio Pakistan Dhaka. In 1964, he became one of the first television news presenters in East Bengal. He presented Bangla news on state-run

Bangladesh Television Bangladesh Television ( bn, বাংলাদেশ টেলিভিশন), commonly known by its acronym BTV ( bn, বিটিভি), is the state-owned television network of Bangladesh. The network was originally established as the East ...

(BTV) during the mid-1960s. He joined Voice of America as a news presenter in 1972 and retired in 2010. In 2006, he introduced the Bengali television service in VOA. Chowdhury published several albums of poetry recitation. He recited poems of

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...

and

Kazi Nazrul Islam Kazi Nazrul Islam ( bn, কাজী নজরুল ইসলাম, ; 24 May 1899 – 29 August 1976) was a Bengali poet, Bengali literature, writer, Bangladeshi music, musician, and is the national poet of Bangladesh. Nazrul is regarded as one ...

. According to him, his great-grandfather

Khan Bahadur Abdul Aziz Khan Bahadur Abdul Aziz (1863–1926) was an educationist, writer and social worker from Bengal Presidency. Early life and career Aziz was born into a Bengali Muslim family in Parshuram, Feni which was then in Noakhali District, Bengal Preside ...

, an educationist, had a close relationship with Kazi Nazrul Islam. Chowdhury produced two documentary films — one on

Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain") is the commonly used spelling of Rokeya's full married name, Rokeya herself is never seen to use her full married name in this English spelling. In much of her correspondence in English, she used just her initials: � ...

and another on his mother Anwara Bahar Chowdhury.

Works

* ''Praner Joybarta'' (2015) * ''Anandolokey: Esho Natun Prithibi Gori'' (2007) * ''Shudhu Tomar Bani'' (1980s) * ''Sharthok Janom Amar'' * ''Janani Bashundhara''

References

External links

* Living people 1940 births University of Dhaka alumni Bangladeshi radio personalities Bangladeshi television presenters Bangladeshi male voice actors Bangladeshi male stage actors People from Feni District Honorary Fellows of Bangla Academy {{Bangladesh-bio-stub