Derai is an

upazila An ''upazila'' ( pronounced: ), formerly called ''thana'', is an administrative division in Bangladesh, functioning as a sub-unit of a district. It can be seen as an analogous to a county or a borough of Western countries. Rural upazilas ...

(sub-district) of the

Sunamganj District Sunamganj District (), is a district located in north-eastern Bangladesh in Sylhet Division. History In the ancient period, Sunamganj was part of the Laur Kingdom. After the conquest of Sylhet (Kingdom of Gauiurh) in 1303 by Muslims under the sp ...

in northeastern

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 ...

, part of the

Sylhet Division Sylhet Division () is a northeastern Divisions of Bangladesh, division of Bangladesh, renowned for its lush tea gardens, rolling hills and vibrant cultural heritage. Covering an area of approximately 12,298 square kilometres, it is bordered by t ...

History

Derai was previously known as Babaganj Bazar. It was home to two influential Hindu residents; Jitarāma and Dvidarāma, who renamed the area to Derai Bazar. On 10 December 1892, the Assam Gazette notification #5954 recognised the name of the area as Derai. In 1938, the Nankar Rebellion started in Derai and surrounding areas. Derai was made a

thana Thana means " station" or "place" in South Asian countries. The word ''thana'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''sthana'' or "sthanak", meaning "place" or "stand", which was anglicized as ''thana'' by the British. * Thanas of Bangladesh, forme ...

in 1942. During the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

of 1971, a brawl took place in Derai between the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

and Bengali freedom fighting forces. Among the freedom fighters here, Commander Ataur Rahman and Abdul Khaliq were wounded with Azimullah, Kuti Miah and Gopendra Das being killed. Derai was heavily affected by the 1974 floods and that of

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

. The Jamiah Hafizia Hussainiya Madrasa was founded in 1978. In 1982, Derai

was made an upazila. The

2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami On 26 December 2004, at 07:58:53 local time ( UTC+7), a major earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2–9.3 struck with an epicentre off the west coast of Aceh in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The undersea megathrust earthquake, known in the sci ...

was also very damaging to Derai.

Demographics

According to the

2011 Census of Bangladesh In 2011, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics conducted a national census in Bangladesh, which provided a provisional estimate of the total population of the country as 142,319,000. The previous decennial census was the 2001 census. Data were r ...

, Derai Upazila had 45,040 households and a population of 243,690. 71,432 (29.31%) were under 10 years of age. Derai had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 37.13%, compared to the national average of 51.8%, and a sex ratio of 987 females per 1000 males. 36,183 (14.85%) lived in urban areas. As of the

2001 Bangladesh census In 2001, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics conducted a national census in Bangladesh, ten years after the 1991 census. They recorded data from all of the districts, upazilas, and main cities in Bangladesh including statistical data on populati ...

, Derai has a population of 202791; male 105252, female 97539; Muslim 144136, Hindu 58576, Christian 33 and others 46. Males constitute 51.38% of the population, and females 48.62%.

Education

In 1991, Derai had an average literacy rate of 25.3% (7+ years), and the national average of 32.4% literate. In 2011, Derai had a literacy rate of 37.13%.

Administration

Derai thana was formed in 1942 and it was turned into an upazila in 1982. Derai Upazila is divided into Derai Municipality and nine

union parishad Union council (), also known as union parishad, rural council, rural union and simply union, is the smallest rural administrative and local government unit in Bangladesh, with zila parishads (district councils) being the largest rural authori ...

s: Bhatipara Union, Charnarchar, Derai Sarmangal, Jagdal,

Karimpur Karimpur is a census town, near the bank of river Jalangi River, Jalangi, in Karimpur I Community development blocks in India, CD block in the Tehatta subdivision of the Nadia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Location ...

, Kulanj, Rafinagar, Rajanagar, and Taral. The union parishads are subdivided into 137 mauzas and 232 villages. Derai Municipality is subdivided into 9 wards and 29

mahalla is an Arabic word variously translated as district, Quarter (country subdivision), quarter, Ward (country subdivision), ward, or neighborhood in many parts of the Arab world, the Balkans, Western Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and nearby nations. ...

Upazila Chairmen

Notable people

Suranjit Sengupta Suranjit Sengupta (5 May 1945 – 5 February 2017) was a Bangladesh Awami League politician. He resigned in 2012 as the first Railway Minister of Bangladesh. He was the member of parliament from Sunamganj-2 constituency in the Jatiya Sangsad ...

, former Member of Parliament and minister, politician, lawyer * Joya Sengupta, former Member of Parliament। politician *

Gulzar Ahmed Chowdhury Gulzar Ahmed Chowdhury (; died 26 November 2019) was a politician in the Sunamganj District of the Sylhet Division of Bangladesh. He was elected member of parliament for the Sunamganj-3 constituency as a Bangladesh Nationalist Party candidate in ...

, former Member of Parliament * Kakon Bibi, Freedom fighter 1971 *

Mifta Uddin Chowdhury Rumi Mifta Uddin Chowdhury Rumi is a politician and former justice of the Sunamganj District a part of the Sylhet Division of Bangladesh. He was the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, BNP's MP from Sunamganj-2 (Derai Upazila, Derai-Shala) seat in the Februa ...

, politician and justice * Nasir Uddin Chowdhury, politician * Nasum Ahmed, cricketer *

Shah Abdul Karim Baul Shah Abdul Karim (; 15 February 1916 – 12 September 2009) was a Bangladeshi Baul musician and philosopher. Widely regarded as one of the greatest Baul musicians, he was called Baul Samrat (The Baul King). The Government of Bangladesh awar ...

, folk minstrel

References

External links

* Upazilas of Sunamganj District {{Sylhet-geo-stub