Khalekdad Chowdhury ( bn, খালেকদাদ চৌধুরী; 2 February 1907 - 16 October 1985), also known by
pen name
A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name.
A pen na ...
s Shahadat Chowdhury and Atashbaz, is a reputed Bangladeshi writer, playwright and novelist. In recognition of his contribution to Bengali language and literature, 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 ...
posthumously awarded him the country's second highest civilian award
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 2018.
Early life and family
Chowdhury was born on 2 February 1907 in his maternal home at the village of Changaon in
Madan,
Netrokona
Netrokona ( bn, নেত্রকোনা) is a major town and District headquarter in Netrokona District in the Mymensingh Division, division of Mymensingh. It is the largest town and urban centre of Netrokona District.
References
{{Refl ...
of the erstwhile
Bengal Presidency
The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William and later Bengal Province, was a subdivision of the British Empire in India. At the height of its territorial jurisdiction, it covered large parts of what is now South Asia and ...
's
Mymensingh district
Mymensingh ( bn, ময়মনসিংহ) is a district in Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh, and is bordered on the north by Meghalaya, a state of India and the Garo Hills, on the south by Gazipur District, on the east by the districts of Netr ...
. He belonged to a
Bengali Muslims
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 and was the eldest of Nawab Ali Chowdhury and Najmunnessa Chowdhury's eight sons and two daughters. Chowdhury's paternal home was in the village of Sonajor in
Atpara
Atpara ( bn, আটপাড়া) is the smallest upazila of Netrokona District, in the Division of Mymensingh, Bangladesh.
History
When the Baro-Bhuiyans were in power in Bengal, Atpara was a part of the Sarkar Bazuhar. It later became part o ...
, and they were descendants of one of the 16th-century
Baro-Bhuiyan
The Baro-Bhuyans (or ''Baro-Bhuyan Raj''; also ''Baro-Bhuians'' and Baro-Bhuiyans) refers to the confederacies of soldier-landowners in Assam and Bengal in the late Middle Ages and the early modern period. The confederacies consisted of loose ...
families. Following the
Battle of Plassey
The Battle of Plassey was a decisive victory of the British East India Company over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies on 23 June 1757, under the leadership of Robert Clive. The victory was made possible by the defection of Mir Jafar, ...
in 1757, his ancestors had found refuge in the
Gazipur
Gazipur ( bn, গাজীপুর) is a city in central Bangladesh. It is located in the Gazipur District. It is a major industrial city north of Dhaka. It is a hub for the textile industry in Bangladesh. Its other name is Joydebpur.
Demogra ...
. Later, two brothers named Ghazi Lashkar and Ghazi Askar from this family settled in the
Pargana
Pargana ( bn, পরগনা, , hi, परगना, ur, پرگنہ) or parganah, also spelt pergunnah during the time of the Sultanate period, Mughal times and British Raj, is a former administrative unit of the Indian subcontinent and each ...
of Alapsingh in present-day
Mymensingh Division
Mymensingh Division ( bn, ময়মনসিংহ বিভাগ) is one of the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. It has an area of and a population of 11,370,000 as of the 2011 census. It was created in 2015 from districts prev ...
. The younger brother, Ghazi Askar, permanently settled in Sonajor, where his descendants live and were granted the title of
Chowdhury
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 ...
. Khalekdad Chowdhury is the fifth generational descendant of Ghazi Askar.
Education
Chowdhury's education began at the Nazirganj Primary School in 1911, and then at the Jahangirpur School in
Madan in 1916. The following year, Chowdhury enrolled at the
Datta High School
Datta High School ( bn, দত্ত উচ্চ বিদ্যালয়) is a higher secondary school in the city of Netrakona, Bangladesh. It was established in 1889.
History
Datta High School was established as the first secondary school ...
from where he passed his first-class
matriculation
Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination.
Australia
In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now ...
in 1924. He proceeded to study at the
Lord Ripon College in
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 ...
, and later at the
Islamia College of Calcutta where he received his
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
in English.
Career
His father, Nawab Ali Chowdhury, died in February 1928, which meant that the family responsibilities were passed down to him. Chowdhury was thus unable to complete his education and so returned to
Netrokona
Netrokona ( bn, নেত্রকোনা) is a major town and District headquarter in Netrokona District in the Mymensingh Division, division of Mymensingh. It is the largest town and urban centre of Netrokona District.
References
{{Refl ...
. His career began in 1929 as the supervisor of
Calcutta Midland Bank's Netrokona branch. The following year, he served as an assistant teacher at a school in
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 ...
. From 1944 to 1961, he worked for the government as a public relations officer in Netrokona,
Sunamganj
Sunamganj ( bn, সুনামগঞ্জ) is a town in the Sylhet Division of northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative headquarters and largest town of Sunamganj District. It is located on the banks of the Surma River, approximately ...
and
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 ...
. For a long time, he was the director of Netrokona children's organisation Modhumachi Koci-kacar Mela and the elected general secretary of
Red Crescent Society
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, an ...
. He established a general library in Netrokona and was involved in the
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 ...
of 1971.
Literary career
Chowdhury's writings emerged around the same time he was working as a bank supervisor. He preferred writing over his main career. His first poem was published in a magazine named ''Bikash'' from
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 ...
that was edited by
Bande Ali Mia
Bande Ali Mia (17 January 1906 – 27 June 1979) was a Bangladeshi poet, lyricist, novelist, dramatist, essayist, children’s writer and journalist. He was awarded the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1962 and Ekushey Padak in 1988.
Early life ...
. His writings were inspired by the works of poets
Abdul Quadir
Abdul Quadir (1 June 1906 – 19 December 1984) was a Bangladeshi poet, essayist, and journalist. He was the recipient of Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1963 and Ekushey Padak in 1976.
Early life and education
Quadir was born in the village o ...
and
Abul Kalam Shamsuddin
Abul Kalam Shamsuddin (3 November 18974 March 1978) was a journalist, politician and littérateur. He was born at Trishal of Mymensingh.
Early life
Shamsuddin passed HSC from Dhaka College in 1919. Then we went to Ripon College (presently S ...
. To earn a side-income during his time as a teacher, Chowdhury joined
Abul Mansur Ahmad's ''Daily Krishak'' newspaper as the writer for its children's section ''Chandher Hat'' under the
pen name
A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name.
A pen na ...
of "Shahadat Chowdhury". At that time, people used to call him ''Mama'' (uncle). After meeting
Qazi Nazrul Islam
, pseudonym = bn, ধূমকেতু, Dhūmketu
, image = Nazrul.jpg
, image_size =
, caption = Nazrul in Chittagong, 1926
, birth_date = 11 ''Joiṣṭhyô'', 1306 '' Bônggabdô ...
in 1941, he became actively involved in Nazrul's literary
addas. He became a literary editor of Nazrul's ''
Daily Nabajug'' and simultaneously directed the ''Aguner Phulki'' children's paper under the pen name of "Atashbaz". Chowdhury was also a regular writer for the ''
Monthly Saogat'', ''
Monthly Mohammadi'', ''
Mahe Nao'', ''Dilruba'' ''Jugbani'', ''Sachitra Sandhani'', ''Pakistan Khabar'', ''Pratidhwani'' and other magazines and papers. From Netrokona, he used to edit and publish the fortnightly ''Uttar Akash'' and literary periodical ''Srijani'' to motivate the young Bengali writers of the time. Notable writers that wrote for these two magazines were
Rafiq Azad
Rafiq Azad (born Rafiqul Islam Khan; February 14, 1941 – March 12, 2016) was a Bangladeshi poet, editor and writer. He is credited with 45 collections of poetry including ''Prakriti O Premer Kabita, Asambhaber Paye, Sahasra Sundar, Haturir Nich ...
,
Helal Hafiz
Helal Hafiz (born 7 October 1948) is a Bangladeshi poet. He is considered a true representative of poets of his generation having certain creative traits in an age when his nation and countries in the neighbourhood witnessed dramatic transitions p ...
, Jivana Chaudhury, Shantimaya Viswasa and
Nirmalendu Goon
Nirmalendu Goon (born 21 June 1945) is a Bangladeshi poet known for his accessible verse. He was awarded Ekushey Padak in 2001 and Independence Day Award by the Government of Bangladesh in 2016. He was also awarded the Bangla Academy Literary ...
.
In 1983, Chowdhury was awarded the
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 ...
.
Personal life
Chowdhury married his cousin (paternal aunt's daughter) Hamida Chowdhury in October 1927.
Death and legacy
Chowdhury died on 16 October 1985, with his last work being a short story titled ''Abarta''. Following his death, essayist
Abu Jafar Shamsuddin wrote an article in which he said:
To notify Chowdhury's contributions to the new generation and to preserve his memory, the Netrokona Literature Society introduced the ''Khalekdad Chowdhury Literary Award'' in 1997.
Every year on
Pohela Falgun
Pohela Falgun ( bn, পহেলা ফাল্গুন, ''Pôhela Falgun'' or পয়লা ফাল্গুন, ''Pôela Falgun''), also known as the first day of Spring of the Bengali month Falgun, is a festival celebrated in Bangladesh. ...
, a poet or literatteur is awarded this, and past winners include
Rafiq Azad
Rafiq Azad (born Rafiqul Islam Khan; February 14, 1941 – March 12, 2016) was a Bangladeshi poet, editor and writer. He is credited with 45 collections of poetry including ''Prakriti O Premer Kabita, Asambhaber Paye, Sahasra Sundar, Haturir Nich ...
,
Kabir Chowdhury
Kabir Chowdhury (9 February 1923 – 13 December 2011) was a Bangladeshi academic, essayist, materialist, translator, cultural worker and civil society activist.
Early life and education
Chowdhury was born in Brahmanbaria of the then Tipperah d ...
,
Rabeya Khatun
Rabeya Khatun (27 December 1935 – 3 January 2021) was a Bangladeshi novelist. She wrote over 50 novels and more than 400 short stories. Her works also include essays, research, religious history and travelogues. She was awarded Bangla Academy Li ...
,
Bulbon Osman
Bulbon Osman (born 18 March 1940) is a Bangladeshi academic, writer and artist. He was conferred Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1973 for his contribution in juvenile literature.
Early life and education
Osman was born on 18 March 1940 at his mat ...
,
Abu Hasan Shahriar
Abu Hasan Shahriar (born 25 June 1959) is a Bangladeshi poet. He won 2016 Bangla Academy Literary Award in the category of poetry.
Works
* Antaheen Mayabee Bhomon
* Obyertha Angul
* Tomar Kache Jai Na Tobe Jabo
* Haate Gechhe Jarabastubad
* p ...
,
Anisul Hoque
Anisul Hoque (born 4 March 1965) is a Bangladeshi author, screenwriter, novelist, dramatist and journalist. He won Bangla Academy Literary Award in 2011. His most popular work is his non-fiction novel ''Maa'' (mother). He is also the editor of K ...
,
Helal Hafiz
Helal Hafiz (born 7 October 1948) is a Bangladeshi poet. He is considered a true representative of poets of his generation having certain creative traits in an age when his nation and countries in the neighbourhood witnessed dramatic transitions p ...
,
Selim Al Deen
Selim Al Deen (18 August 1949 – 14 January 2008) was a Bangladeshi playwright and theatre artist. He was the founder chairperson of the Department of Drama and Dramatics at Jahangirnagar University. He was awarded Bangla Academy Literary Awar ...
,
Humayun Ahmed
Humayun Ahmed (; 13 November 1948 – 19 July 2012) was a Bangladeshi novelist, dramatist, screenwriter, filmmaker, songwriter, scholar, and professor. His breakthrough was his debut novel ''Nondito Noroke'' published in 1972. He wrote over 200 ...
,
Mahadev Saha
Mahadev Saha (born 5 August 1944) is a Bangladeshi poet. He was awarded Ekushey Padak in 2001 and Independence Day Award in 2021 by the government of Bangladesh.
Early life
Born Dhanghara, Sirajganj, 5 August 1944. His father is Gadadhar Saha. H ...
,
Nirmalendu Goon
Nirmalendu Goon (born 21 June 1945) is a Bangladeshi poet known for his accessible verse. He was awarded Ekushey Padak in 2001 and Independence Day Award by the Government of Bangladesh in 2016. He was also awarded the Bangla Academy Literary ...
,
Jatin Sarker
Jatin Sarker (born 25 August 1935) is a Bengali intellectual, researcher and biographer of Bangladesh. He was awarded the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 2008 for research and essays and Independence Day Award in 2010 for education. As of Septe ...
and
Muhammed Zafar Iqbal
Muhammed Zafar Iqbal ( bn, মুহম্মদ জাফর ইকবাল; ; born 23 December 1952) is a Bangladeshi science fiction author, physicist, academic, activist & former professor of computer science and engineering and former head ...
.
Works
He has published 15 books including novels, short stories, essays, translations, plays etc:
*Ekti Atmar Apamrittu
*Raktakta Adhyay
*Chand Beger Garh
*Shap Marir Abhishap
*E Mati Rokte Ranga
His translation books are:
*Maru Sahara
*
Baharistan-i-Ghaibi
The ''Baharistan-i-Ghaibi'' ( fa, ), written by Mirza Nathan, is a 17th-century chronicle on the history of Bengal, Cooch Behar, Assam and Bihar under the reign of Mughal emperor Jahangir (1605-1627). Unlike other history books of the Mughal Empi ...
, four volumes, (Divya Prakash, Dhaka)
*Al Bakar Dwip
*Bishwa Sahitya Parichay
*Abhishapta Masnad (play)
*Shatabdir Dui Diganta (autobiographical work)
Further reading
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chowdhury, Khalekdad
1907 births
1985 deaths
Recipients of the Ekushey Padak
Bangladeshi male novelists
Bangladeshi male writers
Surendranath College alumni
Maulana Azad College alumni
20th-century Bengalis
People from Atpara Upazila