Shawkat Osman's 96th birth anniversary observed
On the occasion of the 96th birth anniversary of Shawkat Osman, Shawkat Osman Sriti Parishad organised a memorial meeting at Sufia Kamal Auditorium of National Museum, Shahbagh on January 2.
Professor Bulbon Osman, elder son of Shawkat Osman; State Minister for Science, Information and Technology Yafesh Osman (son of Shawkat Osman); Ranjit Kumar Biswas, Secretary, Social Welfare Ministry; Professor Nazrul Islam, former chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC) and Dr. Rakibul Islam Litu, general secretary of Shawkat Osman Smriti Parishad, spoke on the occasion. Essayist and Language Movement veteran Ahmed Rafiq presided over the meeting.
The discussants briefly dwelled on Osman's life and works. His writings feature the downtrodden, particularly the disadvantaged community in our country. Their misery, struggles and varied social dilemmas are recurring subjects of his works. He wrote about exploited people in his novels. Osman's writings largely highlight messages against fundamentalism, communalism and extremism. The writer was noted for his political convictions and social perceptions in his works.
About Shawkat Osman, Yafesh Osman said, “He was not only my father, but also a friend and guide. My father knew the ins and outs of classical music. He was a gifted musician and one of the few adept esraj players in literature and cultural arena. He wrote many songs. He was a liberal thinker and was a strong voice against all kinds of superstitions and religious bigotry. He was also a guru to me.”
Nazrul Islam said, “As a friend of Bulbon Osman, I visited his house several times. He also frankly discussed on several topics with me. A complete man, a renaissance man and a fully committed social activist, Osman was fearless and never compromised his moral integrity.”
Ahmed Rafiq said, “Osman bhai was a multitalented writer. He was also a voracious reader. He had keen interest in music, art, literature, geography, science, sociology, anthropology and more.”
Born in Hoogli, West Bengal, on January 2, 1917, Shawkat Osman graduated in Economics and did his Masters in Bangla from Calcutta University (now Kolkata University). His teaching career started at the Institute of Commerce, Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1941. After the partition of India, he came back to the then East Pakistan and taught at Chittagong Commerce College first and then at Dhaka College from 1958 to 1972. “Jononi”, his first novel, was published in 1958, and his “Kritodasher Hashi”, is a widely acclaimed novel. He wrote many novels, short stories, poems, plays, stories and books for children, essays and more.
Osman received several awards and accolades including Adamji Sahitya Award in 1962, Bangla Academy Award in 1966, Ekushey Padak in 1983 and the Shadinota Padak in 1997. He died in 1998.
Comments