Muntasir Mamoon (born 1951) his full name is Muntasir Uddin Khan Mamun, he is a Bangladeshi writer, historian, scholar,

secularist Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on secular, naturalistic considerations. Secularism is most commonly defined as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state, and may be broadened to a si ...

, translator, and professor at

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...

. He was awarded

Bangla Academy Literary Award The Bangla Academy Literary Award ( bn, বাংলা একাডেমি সাহিত্য পুরস্কার; ''Bangla Academy Shahitya Puroshkar''), is given by the Bangla Academy of Bangladesh in recognition of creative genius i ...

and

Ekushey Padak Ekushey Padak ( bn, একুশে পদক; lit. "Twentyfirst Award") is the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, introduced in memory of the martyrs of the Bengali Language Movement of 1952. The award is given to recognize contribut ...

by the

Government of Bangladesh The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ সরকার — ) is the central executive government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Co ...

Early life and education

Mamoon was born in 1951. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. degree from the Department of History of the

Career

Mamoon mainly worked on the historical city of

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

. He wrote several books about this city, took part in movements to protect Dhaka. Among his historical works on 1971 is his ''Sei Sob Pakistani'', in which many interviews with leading Pakistanis was published. Most of them were the leading Pakistani characters during the liberation war of Bangladesh. In 2009, Mamoon and General KM Safiullah filed a petition with the Bangladesh High Court asking it to direct the government to maintain the historic locations at

Suhrawardy Udyan Suhrawardy Udyan ( bn, সোহরাওয়ার্দী উদ্যান) formerly known as Ramna Race Course ground is a national memorial located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is named after Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy. Originally it serv ...

and all over Bangladesh. Justices A. B. M. Khairul Haque and

Md. Mamtaz Uddin Ahmed Mohammad Mamtaj Uddin Ahmed, also spelled Momtaz Uddin Ahmed, is a retired Justice of the High Court Division of the Bangladesh Supreme Court. He is a former chairperson of Bangladesh Press Council. Career Ahmed was appointed additional Judge of ...

of the High Court Division issued a verdict in favor of the petitioners asking the government to preserve historical sites. He is the vice president of Ekatturer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, advocacy group for the trial of War Criminals of

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali ...

. In 2012, Mamoon appeared as a prosecution witness at International Crimes Tribunal-1 which was engaged by the Bangladesh Government to try the war criminals of 1971. In his witness's account, Mamoon said that members of the

Peace Committee A peace committee is an association of persons who support peace in a situation of conflict. Many such groups have existed. Some are associations of concerned persons; some are propaganda fronts for national, sectional, or sectarian interests; oth ...

used to advise Pakistani military leaders about where and how to strike the freedom fighters of Bangladesh. Mamoon is the Bangabandhu chair at the

University of Chittagong The University of Chittagong ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়, caṭṭagram bishwabidyalay) is a public research university with multidisciplinary faculties situated across a 1754-acres hilly landmas ...

. He is the chairman of the trustee board of 1971: Genocide and Torture Archive and Museum in Khulna.

Awards

, 2010 * Lekhak Shibir Puroskar * Agrani Bank Award * Dr. Hilali Gold Medal * President's Award, 1963 * Mercantile Bank Gold Medal

Bibliography (partial list)

References

External links

Tracing back the celebration by Muntassir Mamoon
Excerpt from the book ''The Festivals of Bangladesh''.
Author: Muntassir Mamoon, Ekushey Boi Mela: List of Books
Living people 1951 births Writers from Dhaka Bangladeshi male writers Bengali writers Recipients of the Ekushey Padak 20th-century Bangladeshi historians Recipients of Bangla Academy Award 21st-century Bangladeshi historians {{Asia-translator-stub