Meherun Nesa (20 August 1942 – 27 March 1971) was a poet and martyred Bengali intellectual of 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 ...

Early life

Nesa was born on 20 August 1942 in Khidirpur, Kolkata, West Bengal,

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

. She did not attend school but was self-taught. She moved with her family to East Bengal, Pakistan in 1950 after the partition of India.

Career

Nesa worked as a

copywriter Copywriting is the act or occupation of writing text for the purpose of advertising or other forms of marketing. The product, called copy or sales copy, is written content that aims to increase brand awareness and ultimately persuade a person or ...

in Bangla Academy, after which she worked at the Philips Radio Company starting in 1961. She worked as a copywriter in the USIS Library Dhaka operated by

United States Information Agency The United States Information Agency (USIA), which operated from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to "public diplomacy". In 1999, prior to the reorganization of intelligence agencies by President George W. Bush, President Bill C ...

. Nesa published her first poem, Chashi (চাষি), in 1953 in the '' Daily Sangbad''. Her poems were influenced by romanticism and realism, and expressed her political views. She demanded Bangla to be made a state language through her poetry. Her poems were published by a number of publications including Pakistani Khabar, Dainik Pakistan, Sangram and Philips Magazine, etc. She was involved in the Mass uprising of 1969, and member of the Action Committee in Mirpur. On 23 March 1971 she hoisted the flag of Independent Bangladesh in her house.

Death

On 27 March 1971 her house in Mirpur,

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 ...

was attacked by local collaborators of Pakistan army including

Biharis The Biharis () is a demonym given to the inhabitants of the Indian state of Bihar. Bihari people can be separated into three main Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic groups, Bhojpuris, Maithils and Magadhis. They are also further divided into a v ...

. She along with her family were killed by them. Her two brothers and mother were killed along with her. The Bangladesh post office released stamps with her image on 14 December 1995.

Trial for killing Meherun Nesa

Abdul Quader Mollah Abdul Quader Molla ( bn, আব্দুল কাদের মোল্লা; 14 August 1948 – 12 December 2013) was a Bangladeshi Islamist leader, writer, and politician of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, who was convicted of war crimes and ...

, the leader of

Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জামায়াতে ইসলামী, Bānglādēsh Jāmāyatē Islāmī, Bangladesh Islamic Assembly), previously known as Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, or Jamaat for short, was ...

, was charged with her death and the death of her family. Mollah was hanged on 12 December 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nesa, Meherun 1942 births 1971 deaths Martyred intellectuals of the Bangladesh Liberation War Bengali female poets 20th-century Bengali poets Poets from West Bengal