Ghatak Pakhi Bhai

Ghatak Pakhi Bhai is a Bangladeshi matchmaker and spiritual teacher[1] who have a matrimonial agency in the country. Through him the profession of matchmaking became popular in Bangladesh and he maintained a monopoly in this business for thirty decades in the country.[2][3]

Ghatak Pakhi Bhai
ঘটক পাখি ভাই
Born
Kazi Ashraf Hossain

1943 (age 79–80)
Backergunge District, British India
Nationality
OccupationMarriage broker
Years active1967–present
Spouse2
Children7
Websiteghotokpakhivaibd.com

Early life

Ghatak Pakhi Bhai was born in 1943 in Backergunge District (now Barisal District, Bangladesh). He dropped out one year before his matriculation examination and couldn’t continue his education.[4] In the 60s, he joined the Khulna Newsprint Mills Limited. In 1967, he succeeded in matching a colleague there, which was his first job. Since then he started matchmaking. In 1971 he became physically ill and had to undergo an operation in Barisal Medical College.[4] In 1973 he was diagnosed with an ulcer during the operation and was declared unfit, leaving him jobless.[5][6]

Career

After 1973[7] he moved from Barisal to Dhaka. Taking shelter in a boat at the Port of Dhaka, he started offering matchmaking services for money. Then he started to be known among everyone due to his work. As his work required him to move quickly from one place to another, people started comparing him to a bird and started calling him "Ghatak Pakhi Bhai" (lit. 'Brother Matchmaker Bird').[6] After gaining recognition, he started conducting his activities from hotel rooms. On someone's advice, he placed an advertisement in The Daily Ittefaq in 1983.[4][6] Then he moved out of hotel and started working in a rented house. In 1985, he rented an office for his work in the Eastern Plaza shopping complex, which is now the address of his matchmaking agency.[5]

Around 2005 he started using internet and information technology for his matrimony agency which further expanded his business.[8] On 28 October 2019, the National Board of Revenue sent letters to the banks asking for bank account details of Ghatak Pakhi Bhai.[9] Although earlier his matchmaking business was doing well but around 2019 his income has decreased due to people turning away from matchmakers due to which he is struggling to pay his staff.[10] Era of digitalisation was another cause behind the downturn of his business. According to the 2021 report, Ghatak Pakhi Bhai has succeeded in arranging at least 18,000 marriages in his matchmaking career.[2]

Personal life

He got married for the first time in 1960 in an arranged marriage.[5] He and his wife have four sons and two daughters.[7] As his first wife was ill,[7] he later married a widow who came to his matrimonial agency to find a husband.[5] He and his second wife have a daughter.[7]

In the media and legacy
  • Al Jazeera[1] published a news report on Ghatak Pakhi Bhai, referring to him as "Bangladesh's love guru".[4] Agence France-Presse referred him as "Bangladesh's national cupid".[11]
  • A drama serial, titled after him, has been directed by Debashish Barua.[12]

References
  1. Haque, Nicolas (14 February 2012). "Bangladeshi love guru reveals secrets". Al Jazeera English. Dhaka. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  2. Nahar, Kamrun; Billah, Masum (22 May 2021). "How do real-life cupids arrange marriages?". The Business Standard. Archived from the original on 22 May 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  3. Murshed, Sabrina Karim (14 December 2003). "Matchmakers' masterstroke". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  4. "পাখি ভাই দ্য ঘটক". Kaler Kantho (in Bengali). 7 November 2015. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  5. "সাড়ে ১৮ হাজার জুটি মেলানো অনন্য রেকর্ডের মালিক পাখি ভাই". RTV (in Bengali). 23 October 2019. Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  6. Alam, Sheikh Sabiha (7 January 2020). "সফল ঘটক পাখি ভাই". Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  7. Masum, Saiful Islam (14 February 2020). "বিয়ে মহব্বতের কাজ, পবিত্র কাজ: ঘটক পাখি ভাই". Risingbd.com (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  8. Gupta, Pulok (7 March 2010). "ই-ঘটক পাখিভাই". BBC Bangla (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  9. "এবার ঘটক পাখি ভাইয়ের ব্যাংক হিসাব তলব". Jugantor (in Bengali). 28 October 2019. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  10. "ব্যাংকে আছে মোটে ২ হাজার টাকা: ঘটক পাখি". Bangla Tribune (in Bengali). 28 October 2019. Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  11. "40 years of happy families for Bangladesh matchmaker". The Express Tribune. 5 April 2012. Archived from the original on 7 April 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  12. Moinuddin, Ovi (6 January 2019). "সেভ লাইফে সুবর্ণা". Naya Diganta (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
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