Sufia Kamal

Sufia Kamal Biography

Sufia Kamal was a Bengali poet and political activist who lived during the period, 20 June 1911 – 20 November 1999. She was a cultural icon in the Bengali nationalist movement of the 1950s, and a prominent leader in independent Bangladesh. Her daughter Sultana Kamal is a Bangladeshi lawyer and human rights activist. Her first poem, Bashanti was published in Saogat magazine in 1926, and her first short story in 1923. Since then she authored many noted works in Bengali language. She herself calls as a romantic poet. Yet she has authored many works related to preserving Bengali culture as well as her revolt against Pakistani rulers through her writings. When she died in 1999, she became the first woman to be given a state funeral in the country.

Sufia Kamal was born on 20 June 1911 in Barisal, Bengal Presidency, British India (now in Bangladesh). She belonged to a Zamindar family. She was not allowed to go to school as she was a girl child. Yet she was given home education, and thus she learnt many languages such as Bengali, Hindi, English, Urdu, Arabic, Kurdish and Persian. She was first married at the age of 11 to her cousin Syed Nehal Hossain, and had one daughter. Hossain died in 1932 and five years later, Sufia married Kamaluddin Ahmed, and she became mother of four children, including Sultana Kamal – a human rights activist.

In 1918 she went to Kolkata and met Begum Rokeya. In 1925 she met Mahatma Gandhi, after which she decided to choose simple clothing. Her first short story, Shainik Bodhu was published in 1923. Her first poem, Bashanti was published in 1926. Her first collection of short stories, Keyar Kanta was published in 1937. Apart from her writings, she also played a major role in liberation war of Bangladesh.

Published: September 29, 2018

Updated: September 29, 2018