The Bengali language movement was a political movement in former East Bengal 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 affairs, the continuation of its use as a medium of education, its use in media, currency and stamps, and to maintain its writing in the Bengali script.
Mir Syed Mosharraf Hossain was a Bengali writer, novelist, playwright and essayist. He is considered to be the first major writer to emerge from the Muslim society of Bengal, and one of the finest prose writers in the Bengali language. His magnum opus Bishad Sindhu is a popular classic among the Bengali readership.
The Bangla Academy is the official regulatory body of the Bengali language in Bangladesh. It is an autonomous institution funded by the Government of Bangladesh that fosters the Bengali language, literature and culture, works to develop and implement national language policy and conducts original research in Bengali. Established in 1955, it is located in the Burdwan House in Shahbagh, Dhaka, within the grounds of the University of Dhaka and Suhrawardy Udyan. The Bangla Academy hosts the annual Ekushey Book Fair.
The Bangla Academy Literary Award 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.
Syed Shamsul Haq was a Bangladeshi writer. He was awarded Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1966, Ekushey Padak in 1984 and Independence Day Award in 2000 by the Government of Bangladesh for his contributions to Bangla literature. His notable works include "Payer Awaj Pawa Jai", "Nishiddho Loban", "Khelaram Khele Ja", "Neel Dongshon" and "Mrigoya".
Ahmed Sofa was a Bangladeshi writer, thinker, novelist, poet, philosopher and public intellectual. Sofa is considered by many, including National Professor Abdur Razzaq and Salimullah Khan, to be the most important Bengali Muslim writer after Mir Mosharraf Hossain and Kazi Nazrul Islam. A writer by occupation, Sofa wrote 18 non-fiction books, 8 novels, 4 collections of poems, 2 collections of short stories, and several books in other genres.
Abul Ahsan Choudhury is a poet, researcher and folklorist of Bangladesh. He is the senior professor of the Department of Bengali at the Islamic University, Bangladesh. He is active in research and academic matters home and abroad. He received a Bangla Academy Literary Award in 2009.
Pakistaner Rashtra Bhasha: Bangla Na Urdu? is a small book published on 15 September 1947 by Bengali language movement pioneer Principal Abul Kashem on behalf of Tamaddun Majlish. Within one month of Pakistan's Independent by publishing this book, it demanded introduction of Bengali as one of the state language of whole Pakistan. This book also strongly advocated for Bengali as the medium of education, court language and for its use in the offices in East Pakistan.
Bimal Guha is a Bangladeshi poet. He appeared on the Bangladesh literary scene in the 1970s. His themes revolve around the war of liberation and the eternal subjects of love, nature, motherland, mother-tongue, tradition, and modernity.
Syed Abul Maksud was a Bangladeshi journalist, columnist, research scholar, essayist, and writer. He was acclaimed for his critical and research work. He was a regular contributor to the Daily Prothom Alo. His essays on literature, society, culture and politics are much appreciated for his clear view, lucid language and simple style. He carried out substantive research works on "the lives of famous litterateurs such as Rabindranath Tagore, Buddhadeva Bose", Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Syed Waliullah etc. His Journal of Germany is a popular travel book. In 1995, he was awarded Bangla Academy Literary Award by Bangla Academy for his contributions to Bengali Literature.
The Freedom of Intellect Movement was a Bengal Renaissance movement advocating rationality against religious and social dogma in Bengali Muslim society. It was spearheaded by intellectuals in the University of Dhaka during the British Raj.The movement also established the prestigious Muslim Literary Society in Dhaka.
Sardar Fazlul Karim was a Bangladeshi academic, philosopher and essayist.
Ruposhi Bangla is the most popular collection of poems by Jibanananda Das, the great modern Bengali poet. Written in 1934, the sixty-two sonnets - discovered in an exercise-book twenty years after Das wrote them - achieved instant popularity on their posthumous publication in 1957, becoming a totemic symbol of freedom in Bangladesh's 1971 War of Independence. In Ruposhi Bangla, Das seamlessly blends in both real and mythical historical figures, as well as mythical creatures such as the shuk bird, weaving a tapestry of a beautiful, dreamlike Bengal The poems celebrate the beauty of Barishal. In these poems infused with a scent of unrequited love, Jibanananda Das captured his country's soul through evocations of village life and natural beauty. Satyajit Ray designed the cover of 1957 edition.
Go where you will – I shall remain on Bengal’s shore
Shall see jackfruit leaves dropping in the dawn’s breeze;
Shall see the brown wings of shalik chill in the evening,
Its yellow leg under the white down goes on dancing
In the grass, darkness – once, twice – and then suddenly
The forest’s oak beckons it to its heart’s side,
Shall see sad feminine hands – white conch-bangles
Crying like conch shells in the ash-grey wind:
She stands on the pond’s side in the evening,
As if she will take the parched rice hued duck
To some land of legends –
As if the fragrance of the quiltcover clings to her body,
As if she is born out of watercress in the pond’s nest –
Washes her feet silently – then goes faraway, traceless
In the fog – yet I know I shall not lose her
In the crowd of the earth –
She is there on my Bengal’s shore.
Sadat Hossain is a Bangladeshi author, poet, screenwriter, film-maker and novelist. He described himself as a storyteller.
The Mazharul Islam Poetry Award, is given by the Bangla Academy of Bangladesh in recognition of creative genius in advancement and overall contribution in the field of poetry. It was introduced in 2010 to honor the memory of Bangladeshi poet, folklorist, and academic Mazharul Islam.
Mohammad Asaddor Ali, was a Bangladeshi writer, researcher and historian. His research primarily focused on the history of Sylhet. Due to his achievements, he was awarded the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 2004. His research discovered unknown information about Sylheti folk literature, and he wrote 19 books relating to it.
Khan Sahib Syed Muhammad Afzal was a Bengali politician. He served as a member of both the Bengal Legislative Council and the Bengal Legislative Assembly. Afzal was noted an early supporter of the Bengali language movement.
Nesaruddin Ahmad was a Bengali Islamic scholar, spiritual reformer, educationist and writer. He was the main disciple of Furfura Sharif's Mohammad Abu Bakr Siddique in eastern Bengal. Ahmad was the inaugural Pir of Sarsina, having founded the Sarsina Darbar Sharif and Darussunnat Kamil Madrasa in 1915, one of the largest Islamic institutions in South Bengal and the first major alia madrasah after Calcutta. Ahmad was among the leading Islamic leaders in colonial Barisal, and his influence extended across Bengal. The Nesarabad Upazila of Bangladesh has been named after him.
Faruk Mahmud is a Bangladeshi poet and journalist, he won Bangla Academy Literary Award in 2022. He post graduated from Dhaka University.
