Munier Choudhury
Abu Nayeem Mohammad Munier Choudhury (27 November 1925 - 14 December 1971) was a Bangladeshi playwright, literary critic and political activist. His notable dramas are Kabar (The Grave), Roktakto Prantor (Bloody Field), Chithi (Letter). He was awarded Bangla Academy Literary Award for his contribution in dramas in 1962.[1][2]
Munier Choudhury | |
|---|---|
মুনীর চৌধুরী | |
 Munier Choudhury with his wife Lily Choudhury | |
| Born | Abu Nayeem Mohammad Munier Choudhury November 27, 1925 |
| Died | December 14, 1971 (aged 46) |
| Nationality | Bangladeshi |
| Education | MA (linguistics) |
| Alma mater | Aligarh Muslim University University of Dhaka Harvard University |
| Occupation(s) | educator, playwright |
| Spouse | Lily Choudhury |
| Children |
|
| Relatives | Ferdousi Mazumder (sister) Kabir Chowdhury (brother) |
| Awards | full list |
He was killed as an intellectual during the mass killing of Bengali intellectuals in 1971. He was awarded the highest civilian award given by the Government of Bangladesh, Independence Day Award, in 1980 posthumously.[3]
Literary works
changeWhen Choudhury was in prison during 1952-54, he wrote his symbolic drama, Kabar (The Grave). This was a translation of Irwin Shaw's drama Bury the Dead.[4] After release from prison, he continued to write Roktakto Prantor (1959; a play about the Third Battle of Panipat), Chithi (1966) and Polashi Barrack O Onyanno (1969).[5] In 1965, Choudhury redesigned the keyboard of the Bangla typewriter. This typewriter was named after him as Munier Optima Keyboard. It was designed in collaboration with Remington typewriters of the then East Germany.[5]
- Mir-Manas, 1965 – literary critique of Mir Mosharraf Hossain's literature
- Ektala-Dotala (first ever Bengali drama broadcast on television), 1965[4]
- Dandakaranya, 1966
- Tulanamulak Samalochana (Comparative critique), 1969
- Bangla Gadyariti (Bengali prose style), 1970
Death
changeIn 1971, when Pakistani army attacked in the University of Dhaka area, Choudhury escaped from there and moved to his parents' house, near Hatirpool.[2] On 14 December 1971, he, along with a large number of Bengali intellectuals, educators, doctors and engineers, were kidnapped from their houses and later tortured and killed by the Pakistan Army and its Bengali collaborators Al-Badr and Al-Shams. According to a witness, Choudhury was last seen in Government Physical Education College, Dhaka in Mohammadpur Thana, Dhaka where his fingers were mutilated.[6] His dead body was not found.[2]
Awards
change- 1962: Bangla Academy Literary Award for contribution in drama
- 1965: Daud Prize for Mir-Manas"
- 1966: Sitara-i-Imtiaz (denounced in 1971)
- 1980: Independence Day Award (posthumously)
References
change- ↑ Hayat, Anupam (2012). "Chowdhury, Munier". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Munier Choudhury (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Profiles of martyred intellectuals". The Daily Star. 14 December 2006. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
- ↑ "Independence Day Award" (PDF). Government of Bangladesh. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chowdhury, Shamsher (14 December 2006). "A tribute to Munier Choudhury". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 5 December 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "What We've Lost". The Daily Star. 2013-12-13. Retrieved 2017-10-19.
- ↑ Akhtar, Shameem (14 December 2013). "A tribute to our martyred intellectuals". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013.