Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain (9 December 1880 – 9 December 1932), commonly known as Begum Rokeya, was a prominent Bengali feminist thinker, writer, educator and political activist from

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

. She is widely regarded as a pioneer of

women's liberation The women's liberation movement (WLM) was a political alignment of women and feminism, feminist intellectualism. It emerged in the late 1960s and continued till the 1980s, primarily in the industrialized nations of the Western world, which resu ...

in Bangladesh and India. She advocated for men and women to be treated equally as rational beings, noting that the lack of education for women was responsible for their inferior economic position. Her major works include ''Matichur'' (A String of Sweet Pearls, 1904 and 1922), a collection of essays in two volumes expressing her feminist thoughts; '' Sultana's Dream'' (1908), a feminist science fiction novella set in Ladyland ruled by women; ''Padmarag'' ("Essence of the Lotus", 1924) depicting the difficulties faced by Bengali wives; and ''Abarodhbasini'' (The Confined Women, 1931), a spirited attack on the extreme forms of purdah that endangered women's lives and self-image. Rokeya held education to be the central precondition of women's liberation, establishing the first school aimed primarily at Muslim girls in Kolkata. She is said to have gone from house to house persuading the parents to send their girls to her school in Nisha. Until her death, she ran the school despite facing hostile criticism and social obstacles. In 1916, she founded the Muslim Women's Association, an organization that fought for women's education and employment. In 1926, Rokeya presided over the Bengal Women's Education Conference convened in

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

, the first significant attempt to bring women together in support of women's education rights. She was engaged in debates and conferences regarding the advancement of women until her death on 9 December 1932, shortly after presiding over a session during the Indian Women's Conference.

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

observes Rokeya Day on 9 December every year to commemorate her works and legacy. On that day, Bangladesh government also confers Begum Rokeya Padak on individual women for their exceptional achievement. In 2004, Rokeya was ranked number 6 in BBC's poll of the

Greatest Bengali of all time Soon after the completion of ''100 Greatest Britons'' poll in 2002, the BBC Bangla, BBC organized a similar opinion poll to find out the greatest Bengalis, Bengali personalities throughout the history of Bengalis, Bengali people. In 2004, the BBC ...

Background and family

Rokeya was born in 1880, to an aristocratic

Bengali Muslim Bengali Muslims (; ) 'Mussalman'' also used in this work./ref> are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising over 70% of the global Bengali population, they are the second-largest ...

family in the village of Pairaband, Rangpur,

Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal until 1937, later the Bengal Province, was the largest of all three presidencies of British India during Company rule in India, Company rule and later a Provinces o ...

, (erstwhile undivided

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

) . Her ancestors had migrated from

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to create fortune in

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and had established a ''

zamindari A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous Indian feudalism, feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian language, Persian was the offi ...

'' in Rangpur, they had served in the military and judiciary during the Mughal regime. Her father, Zahiruddin Muhammad Abu Ali Haidar Saber, was a ''

zamindar A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is the ...

'' and a multi-lingual intellectual. He married four times; his marriage to Rahatunnessa Sabera Chaudhurani resulted in the birth of Rokeya, who had two sisters and three brothers, one of whom died in childhood. Rokeya's eldest brother Ibrahim Saber, and her immediate elder sister Karimunnesa Khanam Chaudhurani, both had a major influence on her life. Karimunnesa wanted to study Bengali, the language of the majority in

Bengali people Bengalis ( ), also rendered as endonym Bangalee, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the Bengal region of South Asia. The current population is divided between the sovereign country Bangl ...

, against her family's wish who preferred to use

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and

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

as the media of education and communication. Ibrahim taught English and Bengali to Rokeya and Karimunnesa. Karimunnesa married at the age of fourteen and later became a poetess. Both of her sons, Abdul Karim Ghaznavi and Abdul Halim Ghaznavi, became politicians and occupied ministerial portfolios under British authorities.

Marriage

Rokeya married at the age of 16, in 1898 to 38-year-old Khan Bahadur Sakhawat Hossain. He was an

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-speaking deputy magistrate of

Bhagalpur Bhagalpur, historically known as Champapuri, Champa Nagari, is a city in the Indian state of Bihar, situated on the southern bank of the Ganges river. It is the Bihar#Government and administration, third largest city of Bihar by population and ...

(a present-day district of

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state). He earned his bachelor of agriculture degree from England and was a member of

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. He married Rokeya after the death of his first wife. As a liberal, he encouraged Rokeya to continue learning Bengali and English. He also encouraged her to write, and on his advice, she adopted Bengali as the principal language for her literary works. Rokeya wrote '' Sultana's Dream'' (1908) before her husband died in 1909. In ''Sultana's Dream'', Rokeya wrote reversing the roles of men and women in which women were the dominant sex and the men were subordinate and confined to the mardana (the male equivalent of the zenana). She also depicts an alternative, feminist vision of science, in which inventions such as solar ovens, flying cars, and cloud condensers are used to benefit the whole of society. It is regarded as a notable and influential satire. She wrote regularly for the '' Saogat'', ''Mahammadi'', ''Nabaprabha'', ''Mahila'', ''Bharatmahila'', ''Al-Eslam'', ''Nawroz'', '' Mahe Nao'', '' Bangiya Musalman Sahitya Patrika'', '' The Mussalman'', ''Indian Ladies Magazine'' and others. Five months after Rokeya's husband's death, she established a high school, naming it Sakhawat Memorial Girls' High School. It started in Bhagalpur, a traditionally Urdu-speaking area, with five students. A dispute with her husband's family over property forced her to move the school in 1911 to

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

, a Bengali-speaking area. She ran the school for 24 years. Rokeya founded the Anjuman-e-Khawateen-e-Islam (Islamic Women's Association), which was active in holding debates and conferences regarding the status of women and education. She advocated reform, particularly for women, and believed that parochialism and excessive conservatism were principally responsible for the relatively slow development of Muslims in

. Anjuman-e-Khawateen-e-Islam organised events for social reforms based on the original teachings of Islam that, according to her, were lost.

Literary style

Rokeya wrote in a number of genres: short stories, poems, essays, novels and satirical writings. She developed a distinctive literary style, characterised by creativity, logic and a wry sense of humour. She started writing in the '' Nabanoor'' from about 1903, under the name of Mrs R S Hossain. However, there is an opinion that her first published writing ''Pipasa'' appeared in the ''Nabaprabha'' in 1902. Her writings called upon women to protest against injustices and break the social barriers that discriminated against them.

Novels written by Begum Rokeya

* ''Pipasha'' ("Thirst") (1902) * ''Matichur'' 1st Vol. (Essays) (1904) * ''Matichur'' 2nd Vol. (Essays) (1922) ''The second volume includes stories and fairy tales'': * ''Saurajagat'' (The Solar System), ** ''Delicia Hatya'' (translation of the Murder of Delicia –

Marie Corelli Mary Mackay (1 May 185521 April 1924), also called Minnie Mackey and known by her pseudonym Marie Corelli (, also , ), was an English novelist. From the appearance of her first novel '' A Romance of Two Worlds'' in 1886, she became a bestselli ...

) ** ''Jnan-phal'' (The Fruit of Knowledge) ** ''Nari-Srishti'' (Creation of Women) ** ''Nurse Nelly'' ** ''Mukti-phal'' (The Fruit of Emancipation) * '' Sultana's Dream'' (1905) * ''Padmarag'' ("Essence of the Lotus") (novel) (1924) * ''Abarodhbasini'' ("The Secluded Women") (1931) * ''Boligarto'' (short story) * ''Narir Adhikar'' ("The Rights of Women"), an unfinished essay for the Islamic Women's Association * ''God Gives, Man Robs'' (1927) * ''Education Ideals for the Modern Indian Girl'' (1931)

Death and legacy

Rokeya died of

heart problems Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease involving the heart or blood vessels. CVDs constitute a class of diseases that includes: coronary artery diseases (e.g. angina pectoris, angina, myocardial infarction, heart attack), heart failure, ...

on 9 December 1932, on her 52nd birthday. 9 December is celebrated as the Rokeya Day in Bangladesh. On 9 December 2017,

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celebrated her 137th birthday, honoring her with a

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. Rokeya's grave in Sodepur was rediscovered due to the efforts of the historian Amalendu De. It is located inside the campus of Panihati Girls' High School, Panihati, Sodepur. Roquia Sakhawat Hussain

Rokeya is considered as the pioneer feminist of Bengal. Universities, public buildings and a ''National Award'' has been named after her in Bangladesh. She was an inspiration for many later generation female authors including Sufia Kamal, Tahmima Anam, and others.

Eponyms

* Begum Rokeya Day, a commemoration of the birth and death anniversary of Rokeya, observed annually on 9 December in Bangladesh. * Begum Rokeya Padak, a

i national honour conferred on individual women for their exceptional achievements. *Begum Rokeya Memorial Center, an academic and cultural hub in Pairaband,

. *Rokeya Shoroni, a

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

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 ...

. * Begum Rokeya University, a public state university in

. *Rokeya Hall, the largest

female An organism's sex is female ( symbol: ♀) if it produces the ovum (egg cell), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete (sperm cell) during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females and ...

residential hall of the

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public university, public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka w ...

. Even

Khulna University of Engineering and Technology Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (), commonly known as KUET, formerly BIT Khulna, is a Public university, public Institute of technology, technological university located in Khulna, Bangladesh. It emphasizes education and research i ...

Bangladesh Agricultural University Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) is a Public university, public agricultural university in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. It was founded in 1961 by the Pakistani government as East Pakistan Agricultural University. It is the third-oldest univers ...

Rajshahi University The University of Rajshahi (), also known as Rajshahi University (RU), is a Public university, public research university located in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. It is the second oldest and third largest university in Bangladesh. The university's 59 ...

also has a

residential hall named after Begum Rokeya. * Sakhawat Memorial Govt. Girls' High School, kolkata, West Bengal. *Begum Rokeya Smriti Balika Vidalaya in Saltlake,

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

Notes

References

External links

*
Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain
at the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction * * Hasan, Md. Mahmudul (2024) Reading Rokeya through the lens of 1857-58 and July 2024. The Daily Star. p. 11. https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/views/news/reading-rokeya-through-the-lens-1857-58-and-july-2024-3775276 * Hasan, Md. Mahmudul (2022) Feminism, motherhood and Rokeya. New Age, 9 December 2022. p. 9. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/366185107_Feminism_motherhood_and_Rokeya * Hasan, Md. Mahmudul (2021) Rokeya stands tall. The Daily Star. p. 10. https://www.thedailystar.net/star-literature/news/rokeya-stands-tall-2925146 * Hasan, Md. Mahmudul (2021) Rokeya's attitude towards men. New Age, 09 December 2021. p. 9. https://www.newagebd.net/article/156835/rokeyas-attitude-towards-men * Hasan, Md. Mahmudul (2018) Early defenders of women’s intellectual rights: Wollstonecraft’s and Rokeya’s strategies to promote female education. Paedagogica Historica: International Journal of the History of Education, 54 (6). pp. 766-782. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00309230.2018.1515235?journalCode=cpdh20 * Hasan, Md. Mahmudul (2016) Muslim Bengal writes back: a study of Rokeya’s encounter with and representation of Europe. Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 52 (6). pp. 739-751. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17449855.2016.1157514 * Quayum, Mohammad Abdul and Hasan, Md. Mahmudul, eds. (2017) A feminist foremother: critical essays on Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain. Orient BlackSwan, Telangana, India. ISBN 978-93-86296-00-9 * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rokeya, Begum 1880 births 1932 deaths People from Mithapukur Upazila Indian feminists 19th-century Indian writers 19th-century Indian women writers 20th-century Indian writers 20th-century Indian women writers Bengali Muslims Bengali writers Bengali-language writers Indian feminist writers Indian women's rights activists Proponents of Islamic feminism Women science fiction and fantasy writers 19th-century Bengalis 20th-century Bengalis Begum Rokeya Bangladeshi people of Iranian descent People from the Bengal Presidency Bengali-language science fiction writers Indian science fiction writers