Nirmalendu Goon

Nirmalendu Goon (born 1945) is a Bangladeshi poet. He was born in Netrokona, Bangladesh. Goon is one of the most popular poets in Bangladesh, lauded by many for his accessible verse in an age where Bangla poetry has become increasingly complex.
Poetry:
His first book of poems was published in 1970. Since then he has published forty-five collections of poetry and twenty collections of prose. Part of the generation of poets of 1960s, Goon's poetry contains stinging criticism of the nouveau-rich and a touching description of the contrasting fate of the masses. A love of freedom and faith in the human spirit also permeates many of his poems. Unabashedly marxist, he has written poems urging an upheaval of the poor against the rich. He also has written a number of poems on important personalities, including Rabindranath, Sheikh Mujib, Lenin, Shakti Chattopadhyay , and others.
Bangla Academy Award is a literary award given by the Bangla Academy of Bangladesh. The award is given in recognition of creative genius in advancement and overall contribution in the field of Bangla language and literature.
Bangla Academy award was introduced in 1960. Until 1984, the award was offered in six categories including poetry, novel, short stories, essays, juvenile literature and translation. From 1985, two more awards were introduced to recognize two writers for their overall contributions to Bangla language and literature.
Ekushey Padak is one of the highest civilian awards in Bangladesh. The award was introduced in memory of the martyrs of the Language Movement that took place on February 21, 1952.
Souce: wikipedia.

Bibi Russell

Bibi Russell is a fashion designer and former international model from Bangladesh. Born inChittagong, she studied in London College of Fashion, earning a graduate degree in 1975. In the next five years, she worked as a model for different magazines including Vogue,Cosmopolitan and Harper’s Bazaar. She also worked as a fashion model in fashion shows until 1994, working with Yves Saint Laurent, Kenzo, Karl Lagerfield and Giorgio Armani. Having returned to Bangladesh in 1994, Bibi opened Bibi Productions, her own fashion house, fusing indigenous Bengali cultural elements into her line. With assistance from UNESCO, she organized her first European fashion show in paris in 1996. As of 2004, her company employed 35,000 weavers in rural Bangldesh. Her enterpreneurship has earned her many awards. The Asiaweek magazine highlighted her as "one of the 20 people to watch in the millennium".
Awards
•"Woman of the Year" by Elle Magazine, 1997.
•"Honorary Fellowship" of the London Institute, 1999.
•"Entrepreneur Woman of the Year" by the Foundation of Entrepreneur Women, 1999.
•"UNESCO Special Envoy: Designer for Development", 1999.
Souce: Wikipedia

Jasimuddin

Jasimuddin (1903-1976) poet and litterateur, was born on 1 January 1903 in his maternal uncle's home at Tambulkhana in Faridpur, son of Ansaruddin Mollah, a schoolteacher from Govindapur, also in Faridpur. Jasimuddin studied for some time at Faridpur Welfare School. He then went to Faridpur District School, from where he matriculated in 1921. He completed IA from Rajendra College in 1924, and BA and MA in Bangla from the University of Calcutta in 1929 and 1931 respectively.
From 1931 to 1937, Jasimuddin worked as Ramtanu Lahiri assistant research fellow under Dinesh Chandra Sen, collecting Folk litterature. In 1938 he joined the university of DHAKA as lecturer. He left the university in 1944 to join the Department of Information and Broadcasting. He continued working here, first under the Bengal government and then under the East Pakistan Government, until his retirement as Deputy Director in 1962.
Jasimuddin's talent as a poet developed early. As a college student, he wrote the poem 'Kabar' (Grave). The poem, a dramatic monologue of an old man talking to his grandson in front of his wife's grave, was included in school textbooks while Jasimuddin was still a student at university.
Jasimuddin's first book of verse, Rakhali (Shepherd), was published in 1927. His other books are Naksi Kanthar Math (1929), Sojan Badiyar Ghat (1933), Ranila Nayer Majhi (1935), Matir Kanna (1951), Suchayani (1961), Padma Nadir Deshe (1969), Bhayabaha Sei Dingulite (1962), Padmapar (1950), Beder Meye (1951), Pallibadhu (1956), Gramer Maya (1959), Thakur Badir Aninay (1961), Germanir Shahare Bandare (1975), Smaraner Sarani Bahi (1978), Bangalir Hasir Galpa, Dalim Kumar, etc. He also wrote a novel, Boba Kahini (1964). He edited two books on folk music: Jarigan (1968) and Murshida Gan (1977). Naksi Kanthar Math and Bangalir Hasir Galpa have been translated into English as The Field of the Embroidered Quilt and Folk Tales of East Pakistan respectively.
Called 'Palli Kavi' (folk poet), Jasimuddin is the poet of rural Bengal, depicting the natural beauty of the rural world as well as the lives of ordinary peasants. His poetic rhythms are drawn from folk poetry, easy on the ear and quick to imbed themselves in the memory. He was also a writer of fine prose, fluent, witty, and expressive.
Jasimuddin was one of the pioneers of the progressive and non-communal cultural movement. He was an ardent supporter of socialism and of Bengali nationalism. In the 1950s when the government of Pakistan attempted to stop broadcasting Tagore songs, he protested boldly.
In 1969 Jasimuddin was awarded the DLitt by Rabindra Bharati University. He also won several awards, including the President's Award for Pride of Performance (1958), Ekushey Padak (1976) and Swadhinata Dibas Puruskar (posthumous, 1978). In 1974 he was also selected for the Bangla Academy Award but refused it. Jasimuddin died in Dhaka on 13 March 1976 and was buried in his own village. [Bimal Guha]
Souce: banglapedia(CD).

Rabindranath Tagore

Achievements: Rabindranath Tagore became the first Asian to became Nobel laureate when he won Nobel Prize for his collection of poems, Gitanjali, in 1913; awarded knighthood by the British King George V; established Viswabharati University; two songs from his Rabindrasangit canon are now the national anthems of India andBangladeshRabindranath Tagore was an icon of Indian culture. He was a poet, philosopher, musician, writer, and educationist. Rabindranath Tagore became the first Asian to became Nobel laureate when he won Nobel Prize for his collection of poems, Gitanjali, in 1913. He was popularly called as Gurudev and his songs were popularly known as Rabindrasangeet. Two songs from his Rabindrasangit canon are now the national anthems of India and Bangladesh: the Jana Gana Mana and the Amar Shonar Bangla.Rabindranath Tagore was born on May 7, 1861 in a wealthy Brahmin family in Calcutta. He was the ninth son of Debendranath and Sarada Devi. His grandfather Dwarkanath Tagore was a rich landlord and social reformer. Rabindra Nath Tagore had his initial education in Oriental Seminary School. But he did not like the conventional education and started studying at home under several teachers. After undergoing his upanayan (coming-of-age) rite at the age of eleven, Tagore and his father left Calcutta in 1873 to tour India for several months, visiting his father's Santiniketan estate and Amritsar before reaching the Himalayan hill station of Dalhousie. There, Tagore read biographies, studied history, astronomy, modern science, and Sanskrit, and examined the classical poetry of Kalidasa.In 1874, Tagore's poem Abhilaash (Desire) was published anonymously in a magazine called Tattobodhini. Tagore's mother Sarada Devi expired in 1875. Rabindranath's first book of poems, Kabi Kahini ( tale of a poet ) was published in 1878. In the same year Tagore sailed to England with his elder brother Satyandranath to study law. But he returned to India in 1880 and started his career as poet and writer. In 1883, Rabindranath Tagore married Mrinalini Devi Raichaudhuri, with whom he had two sons and three daughters.In 1884, Tagore wrote a collection of poems Kori-o-Kamal (Sharp and Flats). He also wrote dramas - Raja-o-Rani ( King and Queen) and Visarjan (Sacrifice). In 1890, Rabindranath Tagore moved to Shilaidaha (now in Bangladesh) to look after the family estate. Between 1893 and 1900 Tagore wrote seven volumes of poetry, which included Sonar Tari (The Golden Boat) and Khanika. In 1901, Rabindranath Tagore became the editor of the magazine Bangadarshan. He Established Bolpur Bramhacharyaashram at Shantiniketan, a school based on the pattern of old Indian Ashrama. In 1902, his wife Mrinalini died. Tagore composed Smaran ( In Memoriam ), a collection of poems, dedicated to his wife.In 1905, Lord Curzon decided to divide Bengal into two parts. Rabindranath Tagore strongly protested against this decision. Tagore wrote a number of national songs and attended protest meetings. He introduced the Rakhibandhan ceremony , symbolizing the underlying unity of undivided Bengal.In 1909, Rabindranath Tagore started writing Gitanjali. In 1912, Tagore went to Europe for the second time. On the journey to London he translated some of his poems/songs from Gitanjali to English. He met William Rothenstein, a noted British painter, in London. Rothenstien was impressed by the poems, made copies and gave to Yeats and other English poets. Yeats was enthralled. He later wrote the introduction to Gitanjali when it was published in September 1912 in a limited edition by the India Society in London. Rabindranath Tagore was awarded Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913 for Gitanjali. In 1915 he was knighted by the British King George V. In 1919, following the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Tagore renounced his knighthood. He was a supporter of Gandhiji but he stayed out of politics. He was opposed to nationalism and militarism as a matter of principle, and instead promoted spiritual values and the creation of a new world culture founded in multi-culturalism, diversity and tolerance. Unable to gain ideological support to his views, he retired into relative solitude. Between the years 1916 and 1934 he traveled widely.1n 1921, Rabindranath Tagore established Viswabharati University. He gave all his money from Nobel Prize and royalty money from his books to this University. Tagore was not only a creative genius, he was quite knowledgeable of Western culture, especially Western poetry and science too. Tagore had a good grasp of modern - post-Newtonian - physics, and was well able to hold his own in a debate with Einstein in 1930 on the newly emerging principles of quantum mechanics and chaos. His meetings and tape recorded conversations with his contemporaries such Albert Einstein and H.G. Wells, epitomize his brilliance.In 1940 Oxford University arranged a special ceremony in Santiniketan and awarded Rabindranath Tagore with Doctorate Of Literature. Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore passed away on August 7, 1941 in his ancestral home in Calcutta.(Born:May7,1861 Died: August 7, 1941)
Souce:www.iloveindia.com

Muhammod Yunus

Muhammod Yunus (born June 28, 1940), is a Bangladeshi banker and economist. He is the developer and founder of the concept of microcredit, the extension of small loans to entrepreneurs too poor to qualify for traditional bank loans. Yunus is also the founder of Grameen Bank. In 2006, Yunus and the bank were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, "for their efforts to create economic and social development from below."[1] Yunus himself has received several other international honors, including the ITU World Information Society Award, Ramon Magsaysay Award, the World Food Prize and the Sydney Peace Prize. He is the author of Banker to the Poor and a founding board member of Grameen Foundation.
Souce: Wikipedia

Kazi Nazrul Islam

30 death anniversary of national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam.

Kazi Nazrul Islam was born 25 May of 1899 and die 27 August of 976. He was a Bengali poet, writer, musician, journalist and philosopher who have a best known for pioneering works in Bengali expressing fierce rebellion against conventional tradition, politics, injustice, intolerance and oppression. Kazi Nazrul was religious but not Muslim or Hidu, even though he was born in Muslim family. He write Muslim’s ham-nath, at the same time kirton. He sang song of human victory, victory of truth and justice. He was called as Vidrohi (Rebel) kabi as his voice was strong to all injustice. Nazrul would also condemn religious fundamentalism in Muslim and Hindu society. This year Nazrul Institute of Bangladesh organized 3 days long celebration with different cultural show and discussion on his life and works.

Shamsur Rahman no more

Shamsur Rahman, the most popular Bangla contemporary poet, has gone leaving the whole nation in a deep shock after longtime fighting with diseases. The eminent poet breathed his last at 6:30pm of 17 August, 2006 at Bangabandhu Medical University Hospital.The poet's body will be kept at the Central Shaheed Minar from 10:30am to 12:30pm for people to pay tribute. After his namaz-e-janaza at Dhaka University central mosque Later, the poet will be laid to rest at the Banani graveyard beside his mother's grave.
Shamsur Rahman was born on October 23, 1929 at Mahuttuli in Dhaka. Since 18 years old he wrote 100 books in his 77 years life. He studied English literature at Dhaka University and had a long career as a journalist and was the editor of the now defunct Dainik Bangla and weekly Bichitra. Rahman won numerous awards including the Ekushey Padak, Bangla Academy and Swadhinata Award. Poet Shamsur Rahman has earned a permanent place in Bangla poetry and will be remembered forever.