Mohammad Najibar Rahman (; 1860 – 18 October 1923) was a Bengali writer of fiction from the nineteenth century. He gained great popularity as a novelist during his times and was honored with the title "''Sahityaratna''" (Literary Jewel). He is considered as a representative of Bengali Muslim writers of the era and is most known for his novel ''Anwara'' (1914).

Early life

Rahman was born in 1860 to a

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 Charbeltail in Shahzadpur,

Sirajganj Sirajganj is a city in north-western Bangladesh on the right bank of the Jamuna River, located in Rajshahi Division. It is the administrative headquarters of Sirajganj District, and with a population of 500000, it is the 14th largest city in Ba ...

, then a part of the

Pabna District Pabna District () is a district in west central Bangladesh. It is a geographically and economically important district. Its administrative capital is the eponymous Pabna town. The main five rivers of this district are: Padma, Jamuna, Baral, Atra ...

of the

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 ...

. He studied at Normal school in Dhaka.

Career

After school, Rahman worked at a

Neel Kuthi Neel Kuthi was built by the English East India Company, sometime at the beginning of the indigo trade and management. It is a two-storied structure located north of Panam in Sonargaon, Bangladesh across the Mughal Bridge on Dulalpur road. The struct ...

(Indigo factory) in

Jalpaiguri Jalpaiguri (), is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Jalpaiguri district as well as of the Jalpaiguri division of West Bengal, covering the jurisdiction of the five districts of North Bengal. The city is ...

. He was a postmaster briefly. But, mostly, he served as a teacher all through his life at different schools like Bhangabari Middle English School in Sirajganj, Salanga Minor School, and Rajshahi Junior Madrasa. He was a home-tutor of the young Mahmuda Khatun Siddiqua, who later became a writer and poet. During Rahman's tenure as a teacher in Salanga, he played a key role in the protest that lead to the withdrawal of the local Hindu Zamindar's ban on eating beef. In 1892, Rahman founded a maktab in his village, which later was converted to a girls' school. He and his wife had to go door to door to get students for their girls school. Inspired by the notion of a free nation during this time, he published his first collection of essays in the book named ''Bilati Barjan Rahasya'' (1904). The book was subsequently banned by the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

. Prominent Muslim Bengali author

Ismail Hossain Siraji Syed Ismail Hossain Siraji (; 1880–1931) was a Bengalis, Bengali royal as well as an author and poet from Sirajganj District, Sirajganj in present-day Bangladesh. He is considered to be one of the key authors of period of the Bengali Muslim reaw ...

inspired him to get involved in literary activities. He felt the oppression of

Bengali Muslims Bengali Muslims (; ) 'Mussalman'' also used in this work.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 et ...

by British Indian administrators in the context of the Partition of Bengal in 1905. On 16 October 1905, the day the Bengal Province was parted, he attended a meeting with other Muslim figures across East Bengal presided by Nawab

Khwaja Salimullah Nawab Sir Khwaja Salimullah Bahadur (7 June 1871 – 16 January 1915) was the fourth Nawab of Dhaka and one of the leading Muslim politicians during the British rule in India. On 30 December 1906, the All-India Muslim League was officially ...

Northbrook Hall Northbrook Hall (also known as Lalkuthi) was originally built as a town hall during the British period. It is situated at Farashgonj road in Old Dhaka, Bangladesh, on the north bank of the Buriganga River. History In 1874, Indian Governor Th ...

where a political front called the Mohammedan Provincial Union was formed.

Death

On 18 October 1923, Rahman passed away at Hati Qumrul village in Raiganj.

Literary work

Najibar Rahman wrote about 20 novels. His first novel Anwara(1914) made him a well-known author. His novels sketches the lives of rural Muslim families that had little representation in the Bengali literature of the time. Some of his literary work are listed below. Novels: * ''Anwara'' (1914) * ''Premer Samadhi'' (1915) * ''Chandtara'' (1917) * ''Parinam'' (1918) * ''Gariber Meye'' (1923) * ''Duniya Ar Chaina'' (1924) * ''Meherunnisa (1924)'' Essays collections: * ''Bilati Barjan Rahasya'' (1904) * ''Sahitya Prasabga'' (1904).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rahman, Najibur 1860 births 1923 deaths People from Shahzadpur Upazila Bengali-language novelists 20th-century Bengalis 20th-century Indian male writers Indian male poets 19th-century Bengalis Novelists from British India People from the Bengal Presidency