Syeda Shahar Banu (; 1914–1983) was a leader of the Bengali language movement and pioneer of the women's rights movement in Sylhet. She also played an important role in the lead-up to the

1947 Sylhet referendum The 1947 Sylhet referendum was held in the Sylhet District of the Assam Province of British India to decide whether the district would remain in Undivided Assam and therefore within the post-independence Dominion of India, or leave Assam for Ea ...

and the establishment of Sylhet Government Women's College.

Early life and family

Syeda Shahar Banu Chowdhury was born in 1914, to a

Bengali Muslim 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 of

Syeds ''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, sons of Muhamma ...

in the village of Syedpur in Jagannathpur, Sunamganj Subdivision. Her father, Syed Abul Bashar Chowdhury, was the son of mystic poet Syed Ashhar Ali Chowdhury, and the grandson of

zamindar 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 ...

Dewan Syed Ajmal Ali Chowdhury. The family inherited the titles from ancestor Dewan Syed Wasil Ali Chowdhury, who was appointed the Sadar-e-Ala and

Dewan ''Dewan'' (also known as ''diwan'', sometimes spelled ''devan'' or ''divan'') designated a powerful government official, minister, or ruler. A ''dewan'' was the head of a state institution of the same name (see Divan). Diwans belonged to the el ...

in the Nawabi period.

Social and political activism

Shahar Banu's entrance into social activism was inspired by her husband,

Abu Ahmad Abdul Hafiz Abu Ahmad Abdul Hafiz ( bn, আবু আহমদ আব্দুল হাফিজ; 1900–1985), also known by his daak naam Wakil Mia ( bn, উকিল মিঞা, Ukil Miã), was a Bengali lawyer, teacher and politician who was active in t ...

, who was a politician and

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...

. She contributed in the establishment of the Sylhet Women's Muslim League, a branch of the

All-India Muslim League The All-India Muslim League (AIML) was a political party established in Dhaka in 1906 when a group of prominent Muslim politicians met the Viceroy of British India, Lord Minto, with the goal of securing Muslim interests on the Indian subcontin ...

, and served as its co-chairwoman from 1945 to 1948. She later became the president of the Sylhet Women's Association. Shahar Banu was the first female Muslim MP at the

Assam Legislative Council The Assam Legislative Council was the unicameral legislature of Assam in India from 1913 to 1935 and then the upper house of the bicameral legislature from 1935 to 1947, when it was disbanded by the India (Provincial Legislatures) Order, 1947, and ...

. In the lead up to the

, she travelled across many homes organising the women. At the same time, she had to work at risk, ignoring the strong constraints of the conservative society and the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

. She was also linked with the Sylhet Government Women's College from the very beginning. When the college was about to close in 1950, she tried her best to keep it alive. She used to inspire girls to get education. She went from house to house to get the metric-passed girls admitted to college.

Language activism

As early as 1947, Shahar Banu took part in the Bengali language movement. A memorandum was handed over to

Khawaja Nazimuddin Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin ( bn, খাজা নাজিমুদ্দীন; ur, ; 19 July 1894 – 22 October 1964) was a Pakistani politician and one of the leading founding fathers of Pakistan. He is noted as being the first Bengali to hav ...

, erstwhile Chief Minister of

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 ...

, by the women of Sylhet District demanding to make Bengali the state language. Shahar Banu Chowdhury was one of the initiators and signatories of this historic memorandum. She was one of the leaders in all the movements for language in Sylhet. Along with

Zobeda Khanom Chowdhury Zobeda Khanom Chowdhury (; 1901–1986), also known as Zobeda Rahim Chowdhury (), was one among the leading woman who partook in the Bengali language movement from Sylhet and a pioneering women in Bangladeshi politics. Early life and educatio ...

, another language activist, and others, they were prosecuted by various pro-Pakistani quarters for their struggle for language rights. They were subjected to various social stigmas, ranging from slander in newspapers.

Death and legacy

Syeda Shahar Banu died on 21 October 1983. She had several children with her husband Abu Ahmad Abdul Hafiz, such as Abu Ahmad Abdul Muhsi,

Abul Maal Abdul Muhith Abul Maal Abdul Muhith (25 January 1934 – 30 April 2022) was a Bangladeshi economist, writer, civil servant, secretary, diplomat and politician. He served as the Finance Minister of the government of Bangladesh from January 2009 until January ...

(former

Finance Minister A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

of Bangladesh), AK Abdul Mubin,

AK Abdul Momen Abul Kalam Abdul Momen ( bn, আবুল কালাম আব্দুল মোমেন; born 23 August 1947), popularly known as AK Abdul Momen, is a Bangladeshi economist, diplomat, and politician who has served as Minister of Foreign Affai ...

(incumbent

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

for Bangladesh) and Dr

Shahla Khatun Professor Shahla Khatun FCPS FRCOG ( bn, শাহলা খাতুন) is a Bangladeshi physician and National Professor. Early life and family Khatun was born into a Bengali Muslim political family in Sylhet. Her father, Abu Ahmad Abdul H ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Banu, Syeda Shahar 1983 deaths 1914 births People from Jagannathpur Upazila Bangladeshi people of Arab descent 20th-century Bengalis Bangladeshi feminists Pakistani feminists Bengali language movement activists Feminism in Pakistan Feminism in Bangladesh Assam Legislative Assembly All India Muslim League members Pakistan Movement activists from Bengal

Early life and family

Social and political activism

Language activism

Death and legacy

See also

References