Shaheen Samad (born 27 December 1952) is a Bangladeshi

Nazrul Sangeet Nazrul Sangeet ( bn, নজরুল সঙ্গীত), also Nazrul Geeti ( bn, নজরুল গীতি; ), refers to the songs written and composed by Kazi Nazrul Islam, the national poet of Bangladesh. Nazrul Geeti incorporate revolut ...

singer. She was awarded

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 2016 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 ...

Early life

Samad was born in

Kushtia Kushtia ( bn, কুষ্টিয়া) is a city in the Khulna Division of southwestern Bangladesh. Kushtia is the second largest municipality in Bangladesh and the eleventh largest city in the country. The second largest city in Khulna div ...

to Shamsun Nahar Rahima Khatun and Samsul Huda. She spent her childhood at

Jalpaiguri Jalpaiguri is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Jalpaiguri district as well as of the Jalpaiguri division of West Bengal, covering the jurisdiction of the five districts of North Bengal. The city is loca ...

mostly. She took lessons from Ram Gopal, Fazlul Haque Mia,

Sanjida Khatun Sanjida is a Bangladeshi feminine given name. Notable people with the name include: * Sanjida Islam Sanjida Islam ( bn, সানজিদা ইসলাম) (born 1 April 1996) is a Bangladeshi cricketer who plays for the Bangladesh women's ...

and

Ful Mohammad Ful or FUL may refer to: * Fula language * Fula people * Ful medames, a fava bean dish of Sudan and Egypt * Fullerton Municipal Airport, California, United States; IATA code FUL * Fullerton Transportation Center, California; Amtrak code FUL * Ful (a ...

. She entered

Chhayanaut The Chhayanaut Sangeet Vidyatan ( bn, ছায়ানট) is an institution devoted to Bengali culture, founded in Bangladesh in 1961. As in the case of many similar organizations, it was established during Pakistani rule in Bangladesh to prom ...

at the age of 13. After coming back from London she learned singing from

Sudhin Das Sudhin Das (; 30 April 1930 – 27 June 2017) was a Bangladeshi Nazrul Sangeet musician. He was awarded Ekushey Padak by the Government of Bangladesh. Early life and career Das was born in Bagichagaon, Comilla, to Nishi Kanta Das and Hemprabha D ...

Career

Samad is a former artiste of the

Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra ( bn, স্বাধীন বাংলা বেতার কেন্দ্র, lit=Free Bengal Radio Centre) was the radio broadcasting centre of Bengali nationalist forces during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1 ...

, the clandestine radio station broadcast to revolutionaries and occupied population during 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 ...

. During the Liberation War in 1971, Samad joined a cultural troupe, named ''Bangladesh Mukti Shangrami Shilpi Shangstha''. They used to travel to refugee camps and different areas in ''Mukta Anchal'', perform patriotic songs, arrange puppet shows and stage dramas to inspire the freedom fighters and people with the spirit of war. She completed her studies and moved to England in 1974.

Popular culture

In 1995, Samad was featured in the documentary film

Muktir Gaan ''Muktir Gaan'' ( bn, মুক্তির গান ''The Song of Freedom'') is a 1995 Bangladeshi documentary film directed by Tareque Masud and Catherine Masud. This is a documentary film which explores the impact of cultural identity on the ...

Directed by

Tareque Masud Tareque Masud (6 December 1956 – 13 August 2011) was a Bangladeshi independent film director, film producer, screenwriter and lyricist. He first found success with the films ''Muktir Gaan'' (1995) and ''Matir Moina'' (2002), for which he won thr ...

and

Catherine Masud Catherine Masud ( bn, ক্যাথরিন মাসুদ) is an American-born filmmaker, residing in Bangladesh from 1995–2015. She now lives in the United States. She has collaborated with her husband & filmmaking partner Tareque Masud ...

Awards

(2016) * Bangladesh Mohila Poroshod Award (2009) * 9th North America Nazrul Conference Award (2004) * Justice Abu Sayeed Chowdhury Award (2002) * Shetubondhon Award (2001) * Amra Surjomukhi Award (2000) * National Press Club Award (2000) * Poush Mela Award (2000) * Bangladesh Deputy High Commission Award (1999) * Bangladesh Human Rights Foundation Award (1998) * Rotary club of Shamoly Award (1997) * Dilip Kumar Ray Sotoborsho Award (1997)

Personal life

Samad is married to Habib Us Samad.

References

1952 births Living people 20th-century Bangladeshi women singers 20th-century Bangladeshi singers Recipients of the Ekushey Padak {{Bangladesh-singer-stub