Jasimuddin (; 1 January 1903 – 14 March 1976), popularly called Palli Kabi (), was a Bangladeshi

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

, lyricist, composer and writer widely celebrated for his modern ballad sagas in the

pastoral The pastoral genre of literature, art, or music depicts an idealised form of the shepherd's lifestyle – herding livestock around open areas of land according to the seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. The target au ...

mode. Although his full name is Jasim Uddin Mollah, he is known as Jasim Uddin. His '' Nakshi Kanthar Math'' and '' Sojan Badiar Ghat'' are considered among the best lyrical poems in the

Bengali language Bengali, also known by its endonym and exonym, endonym Bangla (, , ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language belonging to the Indo-Iranian languages, Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. ...

. He is the key figure for the revivals of pastoral literature in

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

during the 20th century. As a versatile writer, Jasimuddin wrote poems,

ballads A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

, songs, dramas, novel, stories, memoirs, travelogues, etc. Born in Faridpur, Jasimuddin was educated at

Calcutta University The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...

where he also worked as Ramtanu Lahiri assistant research fellow under Dinesh Chandra Sen from 1931 to 1937. In 1938, he joined the

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public university, public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka w ...

and taught there for 5 years. In 1944, he joined the Department of Information and Broadcasting of the then government and retired in 1962. "An ardent supporter of socialism" and

Bengali language movement The Bengali language movement was a political movement in East Bengal (modern-day Bangladesh) in 1952, advocating the recognition of the Bengali language as a co-lingua franca of the then-Dominion of Pakistan to allow its use in government ...

, Jasimuddin was "one of the pioneers of the progressive and non-communal cultural movement" during 1950s and 1960s. He was awarded the President's Award for Pride of Performance in 1958,

Ekushey Padak Ekushey Padak () is the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, introduced in memory of martyrs of the Bengali language movement of 1952. The award is given to recognize contributions in a number of fields, including culture, education, and e ...

in 1976 and Swadhinata Dibas Puruskar posthumously in 1978. He rejected Bangla Academy Award in 1974. In January 2018, Bangla Academy announced Jasimuddin Literary Award, a biennial award to be given for life-time contribution to Bangla literature.

Early life and career

Jasimuddin was born in the village of ''Tambulkhana'' in

Faridpur District Faridpur District () is a district in south-central Bangladesh. It is a part of Dhaka Division. It is bounded by the Padma River to the northeast. The district was named for its headquarters, the city of Faridpur, Bangladesh, Faridpur, which its ...

on 1 January 1903 in his maternal uncle's house. His father, Ansaruddin Mollah, was a school-teacher. His mother, Amina Khatun (Rangachhut) received early education at Faridpur Welfare School. He matriculated from

Faridpur Zilla School Faridupur Zilla School is a secondary school in Faridpur Upazila, Faridpur, In 1840, ''the then'' district magistrate Edgar Ef Luther, established a school named English Seminary School. In 1851, the East India Company, British Government took re ...

in 1921. Jasimuddin completed IA fro
Rajendra College
in 1924. He obtained his BA degree in Bengali from the

University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...

in 1929 and his MA in 1931. From 1931 to 1937, he worked with Dinesh Chandra Sen as a collector of folk literature. Jasimuddin is one of the compilers of ''Purbo-Bongo Gitika'' (Ballads of East Bengal). He collected more than 10,000 folk songs, some of which has been included in his song compilations ''Jari Gaan'' and ''Murshida Gaan''. He also wrote voluminously on the interpretation and philosophy of Bengali folklore. Jasimuddin joined the

in 1938 as a lecturer. He left the university in 1944 and then worked at the Department of Information and Broadcasting until his retirement in 1962 as the deputy director.

Poetry

Jasimuddin started writing poems at a young age. As a college student, he wrote the celebrated poem ''Kabar'' (''The Grave''), a simple tone to obtain family religion and tragedy. The poem was placed in the entrance Bengali textbook while he was still a student of Calcutta University. Jasimuddin is noted for his depiction of rural life and nature from the viewpoint of rural people. This had earned the title as Palli Kabi (the rural poet). The structure and content of his poetry bear a strong flavor of Bengal folklore. His '' Nakshi Kanthar Math'' (Field of the Embroidered Quilt) and Sojan Badiar Ghat (Gypsy Wharf) is considered two masterpieces and has been translated into many different languages. Jasimuddin was introduced with Abbas Uddin by poet Golam Mostofa in a musical program held in Kolkata in 1931.

Major honors and awards

* President's Award for

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance (), officially known as the Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sp ...

, Pakistan (1958) * DLitt. by Rabindra Bharati University, India (1969) *

(1976) *

Independence Day Award The Independence Award (), formally known as the Independence Day Award or Swadhinata Padak (), is the highest state award given by the government of Bangladesh. Introduced in 1977 by President Ziaur Rahman, this award is bestowed upon Banglade ...

(1978)

Personal life

Jasimuddin was married to Begum Mamtaz Jasimuddin (d. 2006). Together they had three sons, Kamal Anwar Hashu, Firoz Anwar and Khurshid Anwar, and two daughters, Begum Hasna Moudud and Asma Elahi. Hasna is the wife of politician Moudud Ahmed. Asma is married to Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury.

Death and legacy

Jasimuddin died on 14 March 1976 and was buried near his ancestral home at Gobindapur, Faridpur. A fortnightly festival known as ''Jasim Mela'' is observed at Gobindapur each year in January commemorating his birthday.

Major works

;Poetry ;Play ;Novel ''Boba Kahini'' Only one novel about Faridpur life picture story (1964) ;Memoirs ;Travelogues ;Music books ;Others ;Song titles

Gallery

House of Poet Jasimuddin.jpg, House of Jasimuddin Kumar nod(cannel) infront of the poet's house.jpg, Kumar canal in front of the house Open field jasimuddin.jpg, Wide open field where spent most of his childhood Shojon badiar ghat.jpg, Shojon Badiyar Ghat

References

External links

Official website of Jasimuddin foundation

{{Authority control 1903 births 1976 deaths People from Faridpur District University of Calcutta alumni Academic staff of the University of Dhaka Bengali male poets Bangladeshi male poets 20th-century Bangladeshi poets 20th-century Bengali poets Bengali-language poets Recipients of the Ekushey Padak Recipients of the Independence Award Recipients of the Pride of Performance Honorary Fellows of Bangla Academy 20th-century Bangladeshi male writers Faridpur Zilla School alumni