Arjumand Ali Chowdhury | |
---|---|
Native name | আর্জুমন্দ আলী |
Born | Arjuman Ali Chowdhury 1870 East Bhadeshwar, Golapganj, Sylhet District |
Died | 1930 (aged 59–60) Rupsa, Tippera District, Bengal Province |
Resting place | Rupsa, Faridganj, Chandpur District, Bangladesh |
Occupation | Writer |
Language | Bengali |
Notable works | Premdarpaṇ, Hriday Sangīt |
Relatives | Abidur Reza Chowdhury (brother-in-law) |
Arjumand Ali Chowdhury ( Bengali: আর্জুমন্দ আলী চৌধুরী; 1870–1930), better known as simply Arjumand Ali, was a blind Bengali author and poet during the British Raj. The customary style of Bengali literature had historically been through poetry ( puthis), with prose literature only emerging in the 19th century. Ali's Premdarpaṇ is the earliest example of a prose novel from Bengal's Muslim community. [1]
Ali was born in 1870, to a Bengali Muslim family of Chowdhuries in eastern Bhadeshwar, Golapganj, located in the Sylhet District of Assam Province. [2] Through his father, Bande Ali Chowdhury, he was a descendant of the medieval Baro-Bhuiyan chieftain Fateh Khan. From an early age, Ali was described to have been a lover of poetry and a deep thinker. [3]
After passing matriculation in 1890, Ali left education and found employment as a school inspector. In 1891, he wrote Premdarpaṇ, which is recognised as the first Bengali prose novel written by a Muslim. The novel was a love story between a Muslim boy and Hindu girl, as well as Ali's personal sorrows. Ali claimed that the novel was based on a true incident. [4] [5] He married Amina Khatun Chowdhurani, the daughter of the Zamindar of Rupsha Umed Reza Chowdhury and Syeda Aftabunnesa Chowdhurani. His brother-in-law was Khan Bahadur Abidur Reza Chowdhury. At the age of 30, Ali was diagnosed with visual impairment. [6] His poetry anthology was published in 1905, with the title Hriday Sangīt. [7]
Ali died in 1930 and had no children. He was buried in the Rupsa zamindar family graveyard in Faridganj, Chandpur District, and a mazar (mausoleum) was constructed around his grave.
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