Ghatak Pakhi Bhai
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Ghatak Pakhi Bhai (born 1943) is a
Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( ) are the citizens and nationals of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centred on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the Bay of Bengal, eponymous bay. Bangladeshi nationality law, Bangladeshi citizenship was fo ...
matchmaker and
spiritual teacher This is an index of religious honorifics from various religions. Buddhism Christianity Eastern Orthodox The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Protestantism Catholicism Hinduism Islam Judaism ...
who have a matrimonial agency in the country. Through him the profession of matchmaking became popular in Bangladesh and he maintained a monopoly in this business for thirty decades in the country.


Early life

Ghatak Pakhi Bhai was born in 1943 in
Backergunge District Backergunge, Backergunje, Bakarganj, or Bakerganj is a former district of British Bengal, East Pakistan and Bangladesh. It was the southernmost district of the Dacca Division. The district was located in the swampy lowlands of the vast river delta ...
(now
Barisal District Barisal District, officially Barishal District () is a district in south-central Bangladesh, it was formerly called Bakerganj district, and established in 1797. Its headquarters is in Barisal city, which is also the headquarters of Barisal ...
, Bangladesh). He dropped out one year before his
matriculation examination A matriculation examination or matriculation exam is a university entrance examination, which is typically held towards the end of secondary school. After passing the examination, a student receives a School leaving qualification, school leaving ce ...
and couldn’t continue his education. In the 60s, he joined the Khulna Newsprint Mills Limited. In 1967, he succeeded in matching a colleague there, which was his first job. Since then he started matchmaking. In 1971 he became physically ill and had to undergo an operation in Barisal Medical College. In 1973 he was diagnosed with an
ulcer An ulcer is a discontinuity or break in a bodily membrane that impedes normal function of the affected organ. According to Robbins's pathology, "ulcer is the breach of the continuity of skin, epithelium or mucous membrane caused by sloughin ...
during the operation and was declared unfit, leaving him jobless.


Career

After 1973 he moved from Barisal to
Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...
. Taking shelter in a boat at the
Port of Dhaka The Port of Dhaka is a major river port on the Buriganga River in Dhaka, the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. The port is located in the southern part of the city. It is Bangladesh's busiest port in terms of passenger traffic. The port ha ...
, he started offering matchmaking services for money. Then he started to be known among everyone due to his work. As his work required him to move quickly from one place to another, people started comparing him to a bird and started calling him "Ghatak Pakhi Bhai" (). After gaining recognition, he started conducting his activities from hotel rooms. On someone's advice, he placed an advertisement in ''
The Daily Ittefaq ''The Daily Ittefaq'' (, Bangla pronunciation: ) is a Bengali-language daily newspaper. Founded in 1949 by Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani and Yar Mohammad Khan, it is the oldest and one of the most circulated newspapers in Bangladesh. The newspape ...
'' in 1983. Then he moved out of hotel and started working in a rented house. In 1985, he rented an office for his work in the Eastern Plaza shopping complex, which is now the address of his matchmaking agency. Around 2005 he started using internet and information technology for his matrimony agency which further expanded his business. On 28 October 2019, the
National Board of Revenue The National Board of Revenue (NBR; ) is the central authority for tax administration in Bangladesh. It is a statutory authority attached with the Internal Resources Division of the Ministry of Finance. The NBR collects almost 97% of tax revenue ...
sent letters to the banks asking for bank account details of Ghatak Pakhi Bhai. Although earlier his matchmaking business was doing well but around 2019 his income has decreased due to people turning away from matchmakers due to which he is struggling to pay his staff. Era of digitalisation was another cause behind the downturn of his business. According to the 2021 report, Ghatak Pakhi Bhai has succeeded in arranging at least 18,000 marriages in his matchmaking career. In 2023, the number increased by another 5,000.


Personal life

He got married for the first time in 1960 in an
arranged marriage Arranged marriage is a type of Marriage, marital union where the bride and groom are primarily selected by individuals other than the couple themselves, particularly by family members such as the parents. In some cultures, a professional matchmaki ...
. He and his wife have four sons and two daughters. As his first wife was ill, he later married a widow who came to his matrimonial agency to find a husband. He and his second wife have a daughter.


In the media and legacy

*
Al Jazeera Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN; , ) is a private-media conglomerate headquartered in Wadi Al Sail, Doha, funded in part by the government of Qatar. The network's flagship channels include Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English, which pro ...
published a news report on Ghatak Pakhi Bhai, referring to him as "Bangladesh's love guru".
Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse (; AFP) is a French international news agency headquartered in Paris, France. Founded in 1835 as Havas, it is the world's oldest news agency. With 2,400 employees of 100 nationalities, AFP has an editorial presence in 260 c ...
referred him as "Bangladesh's national cupid". *A drama serial, titled after him, has been directed by Debashish Barua.


References

{{reflist 1943 births Living people Matchmakers People from Barisal District People from British India