Sheikh Fazlul Karim (1882–1936; bn, শেখ ফজলুল করিম), also known by his daak naam Mona ( bn, মোনা), was a Bengali poet and writer. He was born in

Lalmonirhat Lalmonirhat ( bn, লালমনিরহাট) is a town and district headquarters of Lalmonirhat District in the division of Rangpur, Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in Sout ...

Early life and education

Sheikh Fazlul Karim was born on 30

Choitro Choitro ( bn, চৈত্র) is the last month of the Bengali calendar. It falls from mid-March to mid-April and is the last month of Spring ( bn, বসন্ত ''Bôsôntô''). The name of the month is derived from the star Chitra ( ''Chitra' ...

1289 BS (1882) 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

Sardar Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar/Sirdar ( fa, سردار, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other aristocrats. It has also been ...

s in the village of Kakina Bazar which was then located in

Rangpur district Rangpur ( bn, রংপুর) is a district in Northern Bangladesh. It is a part of the Rangpur Division. Geography Under the Rangpur Division (one of eight divisions) composed of eight districts of northern Bangladesh, the District of Rangpur ...

Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William and later Bengal Province, was a subdivision of the British Empire in India. At the height of its territorial jurisdiction, it covered large parts of what is now South Asia and ...

. He was the second of the five sons and three daughters of Amirullah Sardar and Kokila Bibi.

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 ...

, pp. 11, "খোলা পাতা", জন্মদিন, 13 April 2008 Fazlul Karim was interested in poetry from a young age, and it has been said that there were times when he would escape to go to school whilst only three to four years of age. When he turned five, he joined the Kakina School. At the age of eleven, he published his first handwritten book of poetry, ''Shorol Poddo Bikash''. He then went on to enrol at the

Rangpur Zilla School Rangpur Zilla School (Rangpur District School) is a school located in Rangpur District, Bangladesh. It is one of the earliest schools established in Bengal. History The school was established in 1832 as Rangpur Zamindar School, by the loca ...

for class six but returned to Kakina School instead where he completed his minor. He was then sent to Rangpur again, but returned home once again.

Personal life

Sheikh Fazlul Karim married Basirunnesa Khatun when he was 13 years old.

Career

Karim wrote his first book at the age of eleven, entitled ''Sarol Paddo Bikash''. From this point on, the remainder of his life was devoted to literature. He was famous for both his prose and poetry. He edited the monthly BASANA. Karim's writing is marked by a profound simplicity. He worked for

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 ...

- Muslim friendship. His literary works have been included in school curriculum, in both secondary and higher secondary Bengali Literature in Bangladesh.

Works

* ''Sarol Paddo Bikash'' * ''Poritran Kabbo'' * ''Chintar Chash'' * ''Path o Patheyo'' * ''Gatha'' * ''Voktipushpanjoli''

References

* Helal M. Abu Taher: ''Muslim Sahitya Prativa'' published by Islamic Foundation, Dhaka, 1980. {{DEFAULTSORT:Fazlul Karim, Sheikh 1882 births 1936 deaths 19th-century Bengali poets Bengali-language poets Bengali male poets 20th-century Bengali poets 19th-century Indian male writers 20th-century Indian male writers People from Lalmonirhat District Bengali Muslims