Iffat Ara | |
|---|---|
ইফ্ফাত আরা | |
 Ara in 2006 | |
| Born | 1939 (age 83–84) |
| Nationality | Bangladeshi |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Spouse | Abdul Latif Talukder |
| Children | 4 |
| Parents |
|
Shamsun Nahar Iffat Ara (born 1939; known as Iffat Ara) is a Bangladeshi writer, social activist and literary organizer. Her literary career began in late 1950s when she started to write short stories and publish them in the leading newspaper of the country including the Azad . [1]
Iffat Ara was born to Maulavi Quazi Abdul Hakim and Mosammat Hajera Khatun in Kishoreganj in 1939. [1] She struggled hard for formal education, first learning Arabic at home to be able to read the Quran. She then went to Muslim Girls' School for primary education. After her primary education was over, her father withdrew her from the school since, at that time, higher education for girls was not considered necessary. [1] Desperate to continue education, she threatened to commit suicide and was subsequently admitted to the Vidyamoyee Govt. Girls' High School of the town. But before she could complete the high school she was married to Abdul Latif Talukder, a young lawyer and politician. She then passed the matriculation examination and, later, the intermediate exam from the Muminunnesa Women's College. In 1966, she graduated from the same college and proceeded to study for B. Ed. at the Mymensingh Women's Teachers Training College. When Ananda Mohan College was upgraded to a university-college, she earned her master's in Bengali language and literature in 1973. [1]
Women's movements in Mymensingh could not be thought of without the active presence of Ara since the 1960s. She became involved in social welfare activities for women with her membership of All Pakistan Women's Association in 1966. After birth of Bangladesh in 1971, she, in association with others like author Helena Khan, Sufia Karim and politician Begum Mariam Hashimuddin took initiative to set up Mahila Samity (tr. Women's Association). Later she organized the Mymensingh chapter of the Bangladesh Jatiya Mahila Sangstha, an organization sponsored by the government. She contributed substantially in establishing Udayan High School in Mymensingh in 1988. Since her marriage she was in touch with politics but never opted for joining politics.
In 1968, Ara joined Nasirabad Girls' School as an assistant teacher and retired from there as its headmistress in 1972. Later she took up the job of feature editor for the women's page of the weekly Banglar Darpan published from Mymensingh. When the same establishment started to publish a monthly women's magazine, titled Chandrakash, in 1973, Iffat Ara was appointed its editor. She worked as editor of Chandrakash till 1979.
Ara has published nine titles to her credit. They include novels, a collection of short stories, a book of knowledge for children and essays. She also edited Bangladesher Jonopriyo Kavita (tr. Popular poems from Bangladesh), a collection of Bengali poems since the late 18th century. [2] Her unique book of knowledge for high school goers Shona achey jana nai was highly acclaimed and has gone through many editions since 1990. Her novel Sukh jakhan shesh belay was published in 2000. Currently she is working on a book of short stories for young readers.
Ara set up a press in her house and started to publish a literary monthly magazine Chinta in 1986. Later it was renamed Dwitiyo Chinta in 1988. Soon Iffat Mansion, her residence in Mymensingh town since 1960, from where she published her magazine, became a hub of literary activities. The poet Jibanananda Das birth centenary edition of the Dwitiyo Chinta, brought out in 1999, remains an example of high quality editing and planning of a commemorative issue of a magazine. Dwitiyo Chinta has published writings of many eminent writers and poets of the country in addition to regional writers. [1]
Ara has three sons and a daughter. The daughter is an economics professor at Muminunnesa Govt. Women's College in Mymensingh. [1]
Jahanara Imam was a Bangladeshi writer and political activist. She is known for her efforts to bring those accused of committing war crimes in the Bangladesh Liberation War to trial. She has been called "Shaheed Janani".
Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, commonly known as Begum Rokeya, was a prominent Bengali feminist thinker, writer, educator and political activist from British India. She is widely regarded as a pioneer of women's liberation in India and Bangladesh.
Begum Sufia Kamal was a Bangladeshi poet, feminist leader, and political activist. She took part in the Bengali nationalist movement of the 1950s and civil society leader in independent Bangladesh. She led feminist activism and was a president of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad. She died in 1999 and was the first woman to be given a state funeral in Bangladesh.
Mymensingh is a metropolitan city and capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of Brahmaputra River, about 120 km (75 mi) north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center and educational hub of north-central Bangladesh. It is the administrative centre of Mymensingh District and Mymensingh Division. Mymensingh City Corporation is the 7th largest city in terms of area and the 8th largest in terms of population in the country. According to the 2022 digital census and household survey, the permanent population of Mymensingh city corporation is 5,76,722 people.
Eden Mohila College, is a women's college in Azimpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was established in 1873 in the Farashganj area of Dhaka. In 1878 the school was named after Ashley Eden, Lieutenant Governor of Bengal. The college moved to its present premises in 1963. It is affiliated with the University of Dhaka as of 16 February 2017.
Nasreen Jahan is a Bangladeshi writer and literary editor. She came to notice with the publication of her novel The Woman Who Flew: Urukku in 1993.
Gafargaon is an upazila of Mymensingh District in the Division of Mymensingh, Bangladesh.
Iffat bint Mohammad Al Thunayan was a Turkish-born education activist and Saudi princess who was the most prominent wife of King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. She is sometimes called Queen Iffat or Princess Iffat. She is known for her efforts in the improvement of Saudi education. She was the founder of Taif model school and the first girl's college in Saudi Arabia.
Govt. Ananda Mohan College is a higher secondary school and National University, Bangladesh affiliated government college in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. One of the oldest educational premises in South Asia, the institute was established in 1883 by Ananda Mohan Bose as City Collegiate School during British Raj.
Muminunnesa Govt. Women's College, Mymensingh or Muminunnesa College in short, is a women's public college located opposite Town Hall of Mymensingh near the Brahmaputra river in Bangladesh.
Jatin Sarker is a Bengali intellectual, researcher and biographer of Bangladesh. He was awarded the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 2008 for research and essays and Independence Day Award in 2010 for education. As of September 2021, he has published 35 books.
The Public utilities of Mymensingh, Bangladesh:
Gauri Ayyub was a social worker, activist, writer and teacher based in Kolkata (Calcutta) for most of her life. Married to the philosopher and literary critic, Abu Sayeed Ayyub (1906–1982), Gauri was a writer in her own right, and is known for her short stories, translations, and numerous articles on social issues. She is recognised for her role in the propagation of communal harmony in Bengal, active assistance to the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 and vocal opposition to the curbing of human rights during the declaration of emergency in India in 1974. She assisted writer and social worker Maitreyi Devi in founding Khelaghar, initially as a shelter for Bangladeshi children orphaned during the war of 1971. After Maitreyi Devi died in 1990, Ayyub took charge of Khelaghar
Nawab Begum Faizunnesa Choudhurani was Zamindar of Homnabad-Pashchimgaon Estate in present-day Comilla District, Bangladesh. She is most famous for her campaign for female education and other social issues. In appreciation of her social work, in 1889 Queen Victoria awarded Faizunnesa the title of "Nawab", making her the first female Nawab in South Asia.
Pratibha Mutsuddi is a Bangladeshi academic and language activist. She participated in the Bengali Language Movement in 1952. She served as the director and principal of Kumudini Welfare Trust, a welfare foundation founded by Ranadaprasad Saha in 1947. She was awarded Ekushey Padak in 2002 by the Government of Bangladesh for her contribution to education.
Nazmun Ara Sultana first woman in Bangladesh to serve as head of an Appellate Division bench in Supreme Court. Supreme Court, the apex court that gives a final verdict in the country's judicial system. Nazmun Ara Sultana took oath as a first female justice of Appellate Division on February 23 in 2011. She goes into retirement on July 7, 2017.
Maleka Begum is a Bangladeshi feminist, author, academic.
Faizul Latif Chowdhury is a civil servant from Bangladesh, who currently serves as the director general of Bangladesh National Museum. Chowdhury has written on a variety of academic topics, including corruption in public administration, tax policy, economics of tax evasion and tax avoidance, smuggling, and international trade policy. He is also a translator of Bengali poetry, and has researched the modern poet Jibanananda Das. Currently he works at Independent University Bangladesh as adjunct professor business.
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.
