Humayun Ahmed · Lablypedia

In the early 1990s, Humayun Ahmed emerged as a filmmaker. He went on to make a total of eight films – each based on his novels. Some of his notable films are: Daruchini Dip, Aguner Poroshmoni, Srabon Megher Din, Shonkhonil Karagar, Dui Duari, Shyamol Chhaya and Ghetuputra Komola. He won the National Film Awards a record seven times in directing, screenplay and story for the films Ghetuputra Komola, Aguner Poroshmoni, Shonkhonil Karagar, Daruchini Dwip and Anil Bagchir Ekdin. He also won the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1981 and the Ekushey Padak in 1994 for his contribution to the Bengali literature.

Widely considered one of the cornerstones in modern Bengali literature, his works are characterized by non-violence, realistic storylines, family drama, and humor styles. His films Shyamol Chhaya and Ghetuputra Komola were submitted for the 78th Academy Awards and 85th Academy Awards respectively in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

Early life and background

Ahmed was born on 13 November 1948, in the Moulvi Bari of Kutubpur in Netrokona mahakuma, which was then a part of the Mymensingh district of East Bengal in the Dominion of Pakistan (now Bangladesh). His mother, Ayesha Foyez (née Khatun) (1930–2014), was a housewife. His father, Faizur Rahman Ahmed (1921–1971), was a sub-divisional police officer in Pirojpur District and was killed in 1971 during the Bangladesh Liberation War. His grandfather, Azimuddin Ahmed, was the son of the Sufi pir Jahangir Munshi. Humayun's brother, Muhammad Zafar Iqbal, is a writer and academician. Another brother, Ahsan Habib, is a cartoonist. He had three sisters – Sufia Haider, Momtaz Shahid and Rukhsana Ahmed.

During his childhood, Humayun Ahmed lived in Sylhet, Comilla, Chittagong, Bogra, Dinajpur and where his father was on official assignment.

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Education and early career

Ahmed studied in Chittagong Collegiate School. He passed the SSC examination from Bogura Zilla School in 1965. He then passed HSC from Dhaka College. Humayun Ahmed earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in Chemistry from the University of Dhaka. He joined as a faculty member of the same university. Later he earned his PhD in polymer chemistry from North Dakota State University. He returned to Bangladesh and taught in the department of chemistry in University of Dhaka for several more years

Personal life

Ahmed married Gultekin Khan in 1973. Together they had three daughters, Bipasha Ahmed (born early 1980s), Shila Ahmed (born early 1980s), Dr. Nova Ahmed (born late 1970s) and one son, Nuhash Humayun (born 1 January 1992). Shila went on to become a television and film actress, Nova is a professor at the ECE department at North South University, and Nuhash became a writer, film director, and producer. Bipasha also acted in a supporting role in Nokkhotrer Raat and starred in Mayaboti. On 6 June 2004, Ahmed divorced Gultekin. He then married actress Meher Afroz Shaon in 2004. He had two sons from the second marriage, Nishad Humayun (born mid 2000s) and Ninith Humayun (born early 2010s). He later had a daughter, Lilaboti, who suffered a neonatal death. A lake in Nuhash Palli was named after her.

Ahmed was a Sunni Muslim, and he described the Islamic scholar Muhiuddin Khan as his father figure.

Death

Ahmed had open-heart surgery at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore. A few years later, during a routine checkup, doctors found a cancerous tumor in his colon. On 14 September 2011, he was flown to Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center in New York City for treatment. During his stay there, he wrote the novel, Deyal, based on the life of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Ziaur Rahman after the period of Bangladesh Liberation War. In January 2011, he was appointed as a senior special adviser of the Bangladesh Mission to the United Nations.

On 12 May 2012, Ahmed returned to Bangladesh for two weeks. He died on 19 July 2012, at 11:20pm BST at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. There was some tension in the family over the selection of his burial site, but eventually his estate, Nuhash Palli was selected.

Legacy

In recognition of the works of Humayun, The Times of India wrote, "Humayun was a custodian of the Bangladeshi literary culture whose contribution single-handedly shifted the capital of Bengali literature from Kolkata to Dhaka without any war or revolution." and entitled him "The Shakespeare of Bangladesh". Sunil Gangopadhyay described him as the most popular writer in the Bengali language for a century, and according to him (Sunil), Humayun Ahmed was even more popular than Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. His works, such as Kothao Keu Nei, Aaj Robibar, and Bohubrihi, are still considered relevant by fans and critics. Many Bangladeshi filmmakers are still inspired by his works. Humayun Ahmed's books have been the top sellers at the Ekushey Book Fair during every year of the 1990s and 2000s.

Exim Bank, a commercial bank and Anyadin, an entertainment magazine jointly introduced an award program, Humayun Ahmed Sahitya Puruskar, which would be conferred to two writers every year on Ahmed's birth anniversary – 12 November.

Several cinematographic adaptations of Ahmed's stories are made after his death. Anil Bagchir Ekdin (2015), directed by Morshedul Islam, won six Bangladesh National Film Awards. Krishnopokkho (2016) was directed by Meher Afroz Shaon. In October 2016, she announced the production of her next film based on Nokkhotrer Raat. Debi (2018) is produced by a grant from the Government of Bangladesh.

Nuhash Palli

In 1987, Ahmed founded an estate, Nuhash Palli, named after his son Nuhash, near Pirujali village, 25 km from Gazipur City, in Gazipur District, which grew to cover 40 bigha (approximately 14 acres). He would spend much of his time at the estate when he was in Bangladesh. He formed a collection of statues there by local artist Asaduzzaman Khan and another of plants from around the world, particularly medicinal and fruit-bearing trees. he set up his own production company named Nuhash Chalachitra here.

Shomudro Bilash

In 1988, he bought a property in the island of Saint Martin with ৳16000 ($132.03) and made a seaside residence named, 'Shomudro Bilash'. After his death in 2012, his wife Meher Afroz Shaon got the property handed over to her. She turned the residence into a resort. Now, the resort can be rented by tourists.