Shahed Ali
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Shahed Ali ( bn, শাহেদ আলী; 24 May 19256 November 2001) was a Bangladeshi litterateur and cultural activist. Aside from being an educationist and his journalism, he was one of the founders of the nationwide
Tamaddun Majlish The Tamaddun Majlish ( bn, তমদ্দুন মজলিশ), formerly Pakistan Tamaddun Majlish, is an Islamic cultural organization in Bangladesh, established in 1947 by Principal Abul Kashem in the former East Pakistan. It was one of the ...
which initiated the Bengali language movement. He edited multiple magazines, was the founding secretary of the Islamic Academy (now Islamic Foundation Bangladesh), and is best known for his
magnum opus A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...
, the short story ''Jibrailer Dana'' (Gabriel's Wings).


Early life and education

Ali was born in the village of Mahmudpur (presently in South Sripur Union) in Tahirpur Thana, Sunamganj Subdivision, Sylhet District to
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 ...
parents on 24 May 1925. He was the oldest of nine brothers and sisters. His first story, ''Ashru'' (Tears), was published in 1940 when he was a student at
grade eight Eighth grade (or grade eight in some regions) is the eighth post-kindergarten year of formal education in the US. The eighth grade is the ninth school year, the second, third, fourth, or final year of middle school, or the second and/or final ye ...
. In 1943, he completed his studies at the
Government Jubilee High School Government Jubilee High school, Sunamganj, is a public secondary school in Sunamganj District, Bangladesh. It was established in 1887 by Prassana –Kumar Dey, son of Pran Krishna Nath Roy Choudhury, Zamindar of Kajalshah and the first person to g ...
and proceeded to study at the
Murari Chand College Murari Chand College ( bn, মুরারিচাঁদ কলেজ) (usually referred to as MC College) was the first college in the Sylhet Division. It was established in 1892, making it the seventh oldest college in Bangladesh. Since then i ...
in Sylhet. He received his
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in 1947, and did a
Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...
in
Bengali language Bengali ( ), generally known by its endonym Bangla (, ), is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Bengal region of South Asia. It is the official, national, and most widely spoken language of Bangladesh and the second most widely spoken o ...
and
literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...
from the
University of Dhaka 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 ...
which he completed in 1950.


Career

In 1951, Ali began teaching at the Azizul Haque College in
Bogra Bogra ( bn, বগুড়া), officially known as Bogura, is a major city located in Bogra District, Rajshahi Division, Bangladesh. The city is a major commercial hub in Northern Bangladesh. It is the second largest city in Rajshahi Divi ...
. After that, he served at the Mirpur Bangla College 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 i ...
,
Carmichael College Carmichael College is an educational institution in Rangpur, Bangladesh. It was established on 10 November 1916 and was named after Thomas David Baron Carmichael of Skirling. The college is situated in Lalbag, to the south from zero point of ...
in Rangpur and the Chittagong City College until 1954. He was linked to several activities during the Bengali language movement between 1948 and 1952, as the general secretary of the
Tamaddun Majlish The Tamaddun Majlish ( bn, তমদ্দুন মজলিশ), formerly Pakistan Tamaddun Majlish, is an Islamic cultural organization in Bangladesh, established in 1947 by Principal Abul Kashem in the former East Pakistan. It was one of the ...
, later becoming its president. Aside from teaching, Ali had been an editor of the "''Prabhati''" monthly from 1944 to 1966. He later became involved with the "''Sainik''" magazine, which served as the banner for the Bengali language movement. He worked as the editor of Saynik from 1948 to 1950. In 1955, he was an editor of the "''Daily Buniyad''" and the following year, he was the assistant editor of the "''Daily Millat''". As the founding secretary of the Islamic Academy, he edited the Academy's two journals; children's monthly "''Sabuz Pata''" (1963-1982) and the ''Islamic Academy Magazine''. From 1962 to 1982, he served as the director of the Academy's translation and compilation department. He was also actively involved with Allama Iqbal Society Magazine from 1963 to 1982. In 1954, he was elected as the
Member of the Legislative Assembly A member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to a legislative assembly. Most often, the term refers to a subnational assembly such as that of a state, province, or territory of a country. ...
for the Government of
East Pakistan East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Myanmar, wi ...
in 1954, representing the Khelafat-e-Rabbani Party at
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 ...
. He decided to quit politics when Ayub Khan imposed martial law in 1958. From 1963 to 1964, he served as a member of the
Bangla Academy The Bangla Academy ( bn, বাংলা একাডেমি, ) is an autonomous institution funded by the Bangladesh government to foster the Bengali language, literature and culture, to develop and implement national language policy and to d ...
Magazine Editing Board. He was also a member of the Islami Bishwakosh Editing Board. He has led numerous intellectual and cultural movements.


List of works

Some of his most famous short stories: * Jibrailer Dana (Gabriel's Wings) * Eki Shomotole (On the same plane) ncluded in the University Curriculum* Shah Nazar (a bridegroom's vision) * Amar Kahini (Ageless story) * Natun Zamindar (The new landlord) Works he translated into Bengali: * Herodotus * Road to Mecca - Muhammad Asad * Fundamentals of Economics * History of political theory * Islam in Bangladesh * Economic order of Islam * Modern Science and Modern People's history


Awards

* Bangla Academy Literary Award (1964) *
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 ...
(1989) * Tamgha I Imtiaz (1969) * Language movement Award (1981) * Nasiruddin Gold medal (1985) * Islamic Foundation Award (1986) * Jallalabad Club Award (1988) * Jallalabad Club Forum February 21 and independence award (1990) * Bangladesh National student award (England) (1991) * Bangladesh Islamic School (Dubai) literature award (1992) * Poet Forrukah Memorial Award (1997) * Ragib Rabeya Shitta award (1998)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Shahed 1925 births 2001 deaths Bangladeshi male writers Recipients of the Ekushey Padak Recipients of Bangla Academy Award People from Tahirpur Upazila 20th-century Bengalis Murari Chand College alumni University of Dhaka alumni