Tofazzal Hossain (5 October 1935 – 5 December 2015) was a Bangladeshi language activist, civil servant, journalist, poet, lyricist and writer. He was conferred with

Ekushey Padak Ekushey Padak () is the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, introduced in memory of martyrs of the Bengali language movement of 1952. The award is given to recognize contributions in a number of fields, including culture, education, and e ...

in 2013 for his contribution to the Language Movement.

Biography

Hossain was born on 9 October 1935 at Rameshwar in Daudkandi of

Comilla Comilla (), officially spelled Cumilla, is a metropolis on the banks of the Gomti River in eastern Bangladesh. Comilla was one of the cities of ancient Bengal. It was once the capital of Tripura kingdom. Comilla Airport is located in the Duli ...

. He received graduate and postgraduate studies from

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

. Besides his professional career he also wrote books. Hossain started his career in journalism at ''

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 ...

'' as a sub editor. Later, he joined the government service in 1967. He was an additional chief information officer of the Information Department. Hossain took part in the Language Movement as a poet and lyricist. He also took part in protest rallies, poster and wall writing. Two songs were included on an anthology ''Ekushey February'' which was edited by

Hasan Hafizur Rahman Hasan Hafizur Rahman (; 1932–1983) became the editor of the daily Bengali newspaper ''Danik Bangla'' right after the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. He also worked for the government as a high official and edited an account of the independence ...

. A song of these was written by Hossain. The title of the song was "Rokto Sorone Tomra Ajike Tomake Soron Kori". He received

in 2013 for his contribution to the Language Movement. He was a fellow of

Bangla Academy The Bangla Academy (, ) is the official regulatory body of the Bengali language in Bangladesh. It is an autonomous institution funded by the Government of Bangladesh that fosters the Bengali language, literature and culture, works to develop an ...

. Hossain died on 5 December 2015 at the age of 80.

Selected bibliography

Poetry

* ''Hridoy Roktorage'' * ''Ekush Vubonmoy'' * ''Notun Juger Vore'' * ''Kobita Somogro''

Research book

* ''Jonosongkhya Bisforon O Agami Prithibi'' * ''Shishu : Bishwa O Bangladesh Prekshapoth'' * ''Biponno Prithibi Biponno Jonopod'' * ''Kashmir : Itihas Kotha Koy'' * ''Safolyer Sondhane'' * ''Jatisongho Ebong Lyndon Johnson''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hossain, Tofazzal 1935 births 2015 deaths People from Daudkandi Upazila Bengali language movement activists Recipients of the Ekushey Padak University of Dhaka alumni Bangladeshi male writers Bangladeshi male poets Bangladeshi civil servants Bangladeshi journalists Bangladeshi lyricists Honorary Fellows of Bangla Academy