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 feminist activism and was a president of
Bangladesh Mahila Parishad. She died in 1999 and was the first woman to be given a state funeral in Bangladesh.
Early life and family
Syeda Sufia Begum was born on 20 June 1911, in her maternal home Rahat Manzil in
Shayestabad, located in the
Backergunge District
Backergunge, Backergunje, Bakarganj, or Bakerganj was a former district of British India. It was the southernmost district of the Dacca Division. The district was located in the swampy lowlands of the vast delta of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra r ...
of
Eastern Bengal and Assam
Eastern Bengal and Assam was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India between 1905 and 1912. Headquartered in the city of Dacca, it covered territories in what are now Bangladesh, Northeast India and Northern West Bengal.
Hist ...
. Her paternal family were the ''
zamindars
A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as a ...
'' of Shilaur in
Brahmanbaria
Brahmanbaria ( bn, ব্রাহ্মণবাড়িয়া, Brāhmaṇabāṛiẏā) is a city of Bangladesh and the capital of Brahmanbaria Sadar Upazila as well as Brahmanbaria District. It is the second largest city after Cumilla ...
, and they claimed descent from
Ali
ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...
, the fourth
Caliph
A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...
of
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
. Whilst she was seven months old, her father Syed Abdul Bari left his job as a lawyer and became a
Sufi
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...
ascetic, never returning home.
She was raised by her mother, Sabera Begum, the youngest daughter of
Nawab
Nawab (Balochi language, Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب;
bn, নবাব/নওয়াব;
hi, नवाब;
Punjabi language, Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ;
Persian language, Persian,
Punjabi language, Punjabi ,
Sindhi language, Sindhi,
Urd ...
Mir Muazzam Hussain, in Shayestabad.
Education
Her education began at the local ''
maktab'', where she learnt
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
. As she grew older, she switched to home education as per the cultural norms. Her mother, Sabera Begum, taught her how to read and write in Bengali. Through home education at the Shayestabad zamindar estates, she gained proficiency in Bengali, Arabic, and
Hindustani. In 1918, she went to
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 ...
with her mother where she came to meet with
Begum Rokeya
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: ...
.
Prothom Alo
''The Daily Prothom Alo'' ( bn, প্রথম আলো) is a daily newspaper in Bangladesh, published from Dhaka in the Bengali language. It is the largest circulated newspaper in Bangladesh. According to National Media Survey 2018, conducte ...
, 20 November 2006
Literary career
A short story ''Shainik Badhu ''which Sufia wrote was published in a local paper in 1923.
In 1925, Sufia met
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
, which inspired her to wear simple clothing.
[ Her first poem, ''Bashanti'' (''Of Spring''), was published in '']Saogat
''Saogat'', also called ''Saugat'' ( ''Presentation''), was a leading Bengali literary journal. First published in Calcutta in 1918, its editor was Mohammad Nasiruddin. Abdul Karim, a scholar, also edited the magazine, which was published on a m ...
'' magazine in 1926. In 1931 she became the first Bengali Muslim female to be a member of the ''Indian Women Federation''. In 1937, she published her first collection of short stories, ''Keyar Kanta (Thorns of the Keya Tree)''. Her literary career took off after her first poetry publication. Her first book of poems, ''Sanjher Maya (Evening Enchantment)'', came out in 1938, bearing a foreword from 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 ...
and attracting praise from 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 ...
.
Personal life
At the age of eleven years, Sufia was married to her maternal cousin Syed Nehal Hossain, a law student and the son of Mir Motahar Hussain of Shayestabad. Hossain died in 1932, leaving behind a daughter, Amena Quahhar. Five years later, Sufia married Kamaluddin Ahmed and subsequently moved to Barisal
Barisal ( or ; bn, বরিশাল, ), officially known as Barishal, is a major city that lies on the banks of the Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh. It is the largest city and the administrative headquarter of both Barisal Dist ...
town.[ Kamal later had two other daughters, Sultana Kamal and Saeeda Kamal, and three sons Shahed Kamal, Shoeb Kamal (who went missing in 1971) and Sajed Kamal.
]
Activism
In 1947, Kamal became the inaugural editor of the ''Begum'' weekly magazine specialized on women's issues which was published by Mohammad Nasiruddin
Mohammad Nasiruddin (20 November 1888 – 21 May 1994) was a Bangladeshi journalist and progressive thinker. He became an important reformer of Muslim Bengal in early 20th century and provided platform for female writers. He received Ekushey Pada ...
. In October of that year after the partition of India
The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...
she came to 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 ...
. During a huge clash between Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
and Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
of that time Kamal worked for their friendship and joined in Peace Committee. In 1948, when ''Purbo Pakistan Mohila Committee'' formed, she became its chairman. Kamal's activism continued in 1952, with the Language Movement. In 1961, when the Pakistani government banned Rabindra Sangeet
''Rabindra Sangeet'' ( bn, রবীন্দ্র সঙ্গীত; ), also known as Tagore Songs, are songs from the Indian subcontinent written and composed by the Bengali polymath Rabindranath Tagore, winner of the 1913 Nobel Prize in Li ...
(Songs of Rabindranath), she became involved in the movement among Bengalis that ensued in 1961. During the mass uprising in 1969, which demanded the resignation of Pakistani military general Ayub Khan
Ayub Khan is a compound masculine name; Ayub is the Arabic version of the name of the Biblical figure Job, while Khan or Khaan is taken from the title used first by the Mongol rulers and then, in particular, their Islamic and Persian-influenced s ...
, she promoted the cause by forming ''Mohila Sangram Parishad'' (''Women's Struggle Group'').
In later life, she made women's rights her top priority and headed Bangladesh's largest women's organisation, Mahila Parishad, for many years. She did not see the oppression of women as mainly a class issue. She was also the first Chairperson of BRAC (1972–1980).
Kamal was instrumental in getting the first women's dormitory of Dhaka University
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 ...
to be named ''Rokeya Hall'', after Begum Rokeya.
Role in liberation war
Kamal showed her bravery several times. Once Ayub Khan at a meeting with social elites of Dhaka, commented that ordinary people are like beasts and as such, not fit to be given franchise. Sufia Kamal at once stood up and remarked, "If the people are beasts then as the President of the Republic, you are the king of the beasts."
When the news of the 'killings' of Kamal and Dr Nilima Ibrahim by Pak Army after the crack down on 25 March 1971 was broadcast on Akashbani, a radio station of the Indian state West Bengal, it drew criticism internationally and countries across the world put diplomatic pressure on the then Pakistani military government for clarification. The Pakistani government was forced to broadcast an interview with the poet on radio only to prove that Sufia Kamal was still alive.
Zillur Rahman, the then regional director of Radio East Pakistan, forwarded a paper to Kamal to sign with the statement "In 1971 no massacre took place in Bangladesh." When she refused, Rahman threatened, "If you don't give your signature then it might create a problem both for you and your son-in-law Abdul Quahhar Chowdhury." She told him that she didn't care for her life. She said, "I would rather die than put my signature on the false statement."[
She actively but secretly helped freedom fighters of the ]Liberation War
Wars of national liberation or national liberation revolutions are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) to establish separat ...
. In 1971, several people in Dhaka including professor Ghyasuddin Ahmed
Ghyasuddin Ahmed, ( bn, গিয়াসউদ্দিন আহমেদ;1935 – 14 December 1971) was a Bengali educator.
Early life
Ahmed was born in the district of Narsingdi in 1935. He passed matriculation by obtaining eighth place from ...
and writer Shahidullah Kaiser
Shahidullah Kaiser (16 February 1927 – disappeared 14 December 1971) was a Bangladeshi novelist and writer. He was awarded Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1969, Ekushey Padak in 1983 and Independence Day Award in 1998.
Early life and educat ...
collected medicine and food and delivered those to the posts of Sufia Kamal's house, from where the freedom fighters picked those up for their training outpost. From July 1971, she used to go to the hospital with food and medicine for the injured people of war. At that time there was an acute crisis of food and medicine in the hospital. She used to give food and medicine to certain rickshaw pullers at the Science Laboratory, Dhaka. They would take the food and medicine to the freedom fighters. She was able to establish closer contact with the freedom fighters such as Abul Barak Alvi, Shafi Imam Rumi
Shafi Imam Rumi (29 March 1951 – 30 September 1971) was a guerilla fighter of the Bangladesh Liberation War. He was the eldest son of Jahanara Imam. In her memoir about the war, ''Ekatorer Dinguli'', Rumi was portrayed as the premier character ...
, Masud Sadek Chullu and Jewel in August. As the Pakistani army kept their strong watch on her, she would try to help the freedom fighters in different ways ignoring the risks. Except Abul Barak Alvi, all others died in the hand of the Pakistani Army.[ The Pakistan Army and their collaborators killed Sufia Kamal's son-in-law, Kahar Chowdhury, because they were very angry with her. Early December 1971 Shahidullah Kaiser, ]Munier Chowdhury
Munier Choudhury (27 November 192514 December 1971) was a Bangladeshi educationist, playwright, literary critic and political dissident. He was a victim of the 1971 killing of Bengali intellectuals, mass killing of Bangladeshi intellectuals in 1 ...
and Fazle Rabbi cautioned her to leave Dhaka but they themselves did not leave and got caught and later got killed.[
]
Awards
* 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 ...
for Literature (1962)
* Lenin Centenary Jubilee Medal (1970) from the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
* 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 ...
(1976)
* Czechoslovakia Medal (1986)
* Jatyo Kabita Parishad Award (1995)
* 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 ...
(1996)
* Deshbandhu CR Das Gold Medal (1996)
* Independence Day Award
The Independence Day Award ( bn, স্বাধীনতা পদক), also termed Independence Award ( bn, স্বাধীনতা পুরস্কার), Swadhinata Padak, and Swadhinata Puroskar, is the highest state award given by t ...
(1997)
Works
*''Mrittikar Ghran (The Fragrance of Earth)''
*''Ekatturer Diary (Diary of '71)''
*''Benibinyas Samay To Ar Nei (No More Time for Braiding Your Hair)''
*''Ekale Amader Kal (In This Time, Our Time)''
Recognition
The National Public Library in 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 ...
is named the Sufia Kamal National Public Library in her honour. On June 20, 2019, Google
Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...
celebrated her 108th birthday with a Google Doodle
A Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and notable historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running an ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kamal, Sufia
1911 births
1999 deaths
People from Brahmanbaria district
People from Barisal
20th-century women writers
20th-century Indian poets
20th-century Bengali poets
20th-century Bangladeshi poets
Bangladeshi women writers
Bangladeshi writers
Bangladeshi women poets
Bangladeshi feminists
Bangladeshi feminist writers
Bangladeshi people of Arab descent
Bengali female poets
Bengali activists
Recipients of the Ekushey Padak
Recipients of Begum Rokeya Padak
Recipients of the Independence Day Award
Recipients of Bangla Academy Award
20th-century Bengalis
Indian feminist writers