Sheikh Azizur Rahman (; 2 January 1917 – 14 May 1998), known as Shawkat Osman (), was a Bangladeshi novelist and short story writer. He won the

Bangla Academy Literary Award The Bangla Academy Literary Award (; ''Bangla Academy Shahitya Puroshkar'') is given by the Bangla Academy of Bangladesh in recognition of creative genius in advancement and overall contribution in the field of Bengali language and literature. ...

in 1962, the

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 1983 and the

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 ...

in 1997.

Early life and education

Shawkat Osman was born as Sheikh Azizur Rahman on 2 January 1918 to Sheikh Muhammad Yahya and Guljan Begum. He belonged to a

Bengali Muslim Bengali Muslims (; ) 'Mussalman'' also used in this work./ref> are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising over 70% of the global Bengali population, they are the second-largest ...

Sheikh Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder (administrative title), elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim ulama, scholar. Though this title generally refers to me ...

family from the village of Sabalsinghapur in Hooghly,

Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal until 1937, later the Bengal Province, was the largest of all three presidencies of British India during Company rule in India, Company rule and later a Provinces o ...

(now in

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

). He began his education at the local maktab and then enrolled at the Calcutta Alia Madrasa. However, he later transferred to the St. Xavier's College of 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 ...

where he received his BA in politics in 1938, and MA in Bengali in 1941. The Daily Star, 4 January 2012, p. 9

Career

Osman migrated to

Chittagong Chittagong ( ), officially Chattogram, (, ) (, or ) is the second-largest city in Bangladesh. Home to the Port of Chittagong, it is the busiest port in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The city is also the business capital of Bangladesh. It ...

East Bengal East Bengal (; ''Purbô Bangla/Purbôbongo'') was the eastern province of the Dominion of Pakistan, which covered the territory of modern-day Bangladesh. It consisted of the eastern portion of the Bengal region, and existed from 1947 until 195 ...

(present-day Bangladesh) after the partition of Bengal in 1947. He started teaching at Chittagong Commerce College. He then served as a faculty member at

Dhaka College Dhaka College (), informally known as DC, is a public educational institution of Bangladesh located in Dhanmondi, Dhaka. It is one of the oldest educational institutions in the subcontinent. It offers Honours degree, honours and Master's degree ...

during 1959–1972.

Literature

Osman's first prominent novel was ''Janani'', a portrait of the disintegration of a family because of the rural and urban division. In ''Kritadasher Hashi'' (Laugh of a Slave), Osman explored the darkness of contemporary politics and reality of dictatorship.

Family

Osman's son Yeafesh Osman is the incumbent Science and Technology minister of Bangladesh.

Awards

(1962) * Adamjee Literary Award (1966) * President Award (1967) *

(1983) * Mahbubullah Foundation Prize (1983) * Muktadhara Literary Award (1991) *

(1997)

Literary works

;Novels ;Short stories ;Dramas ;Memoires * Kalratri Khandachitra (1986) * Swajan Sangram (1986) ;Children literature ;Translation ;Editor

Non-fiction

12122009 Shaukat Osman grave photo RanadipamBasu

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Osman, Shawkat 1917 births 1998 deaths People from Hooghly district University of Calcutta alumni St. Xavier's College, Kolkata alumni Recipients of the Ekushey Padak Recipients of the Independence Award Academic staff of Dhaka College Recipients of Bangla Academy Award Bengali-language novelists Bangladeshi male novelists Novelists from West Bengal Recipients of the Adamjee Literary Award Writers from West Bengal