Rahat Khan

Rahat Khan (19 December 1940 – 28 August 2020)[1][2] was a Bangladeshi journalist and litterateur. He wrote more than 32 novels. He won Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1973 and Ekushey Padak in 1996 by the Government of Bangladesh.[3][4]

This article is about the Bangladeshi journalist. For the Pakistani field hockey player, see Rahat Khan (field hockey). For the Pakistani singer, see Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.

Rahat Khan
রাহাত খান
Born(1940-12-18)18 December 1940
Kishoreganj District, Bengal Presidency, British India
Died28 August 2020(2020-08-28) (aged 79)
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Alma materUniversity of Dhaka
Occupation(s)Journalist, litterateur
Years active1964–2020
Known forEditor of The Daily Ittefaq
Awardsfull list

Early life

Khan was born on 19 December 1940 in Kishoreganj.[5] He wrote his first story as a student in class three. In his words, "One day a kite pounced on a small tortoise before our eyes. The event shocked me very much and made me tearful. I don't know why but I wrote a story on it and thus my authorial life began."[6] Khan completed a degree in economics and philosophy at Ananda Mohan College. He earned his MA from the Department of Bangla Language and Literature at the University of Dhaka in 1961. For the next eight years he taught Bangla at various colleges, including Jagannath College in Dhaka.[5]

Career

In 1969, Khan joined the Bangla-language daily newspaper The Daily Ittefaq as assistant editor. He would spend over four decades at the paper, eventually becoming its editor.[7][8]

In 1972, Khan published his first collection of short stories, Onischito Lokaloy (Uncertain Human Habitation). The following year he received the Bangla Academy Literary Award for his short stories.[9] He produced further volumes: Ontohin Jatra (The Eternal Journey), Bhalo Monder Taka (Money for Good and Evil), and in 1983, Apel Songbad (News of the Apple). In the early 1980s he published his debut novel, Omol Dhobol Chakri (Milk-White Service). He continued writing novels into the 1990s.

After leaving Ittefaq, Khan served as an advisory editor of Dainik Bartoman and served on the board of directors of the national news agency, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS). In March 2016, he was appointed to a 2+1⁄2-year term as chairman of the board of BSS.[10]

Themes

The middle and upper class life observed in his novels comes out of urban Dhaka society, while novels such as Omol Dhobol Chakri explore village life.

Khan also considered Ekushe February and the Bangladeshi Liberation War in works such as Hey Matoh Bong and Hey Mohasunyota.

Novels
  • Omol Dhobol Chakuri (Milk-White Service, 1982)
  • Ek Priyodorshini (A Beautiful Woman, 1983)
  • Chayadompoti (A Shadow Couple, 1984)
  • Sangharsha (Clash, 1984)
  • Shahar (The City, 1984)
  • Hey Onanter Pakhi (O, Bird of Infinity, 1989)
  • Modhyomather Khelowar (The Forward Footballer, 1991)
  • Akhanksha (Desire)
  • Kayekjan (A Few Persons)
  • Ognidaho (Conflagration)

Awards
  • Bangla Academy Literary Award (1973) in the short story category[9]
  • Sufi Motahar Hossain Award (1979)
  • Mahbubullah Zebunnesa Trust Award (1979)
  • Abul Mansur Memorial Award (1980)
  • Humayun Qadir Memorial Award (1982)
  • Shuhrid Literary Award (1975)
  • Trayi Literary Award (1988)
  • Cetana Literary Award (1989)
  • Ekushey Padak (1996)[4]

References
  1. "Author, journalist Rahat Khan no more". Dhaka Tribune. 28 August 2020.
  2. "Ekushey Padak-winning writer, journalist Rahat Khan dies". Dhaka Tribune. 28 August 2020.
  3. পুরস্কারপ্রাপ্তদের তালিকা [Winners list] (in Bengali). Bangla Academy. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  4. একুশে পদকপ্রাপ্ত সুধীবৃন্দ [Ekushey Padak winners list] (in Bengali). Government of Bangladesh. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  5. নগর চেতনার কথাশিল্পী রাহাত খান [Spirit of the city writer Rahat Khan]. Jaijaidin. 18 December 2016.
  6. Interview with Suhita Sultana for The Daily Banglabazar Patrika (27 February 1997)
  7. "Manik Mia's journalism was about movement". The New Nation. 4 June 2015.
  8. "Chaos at Ittefaq again over control". The Financial Express. Dhaka. 27 September 2009.
  9. পুরস্কারপ্রাপ্ত লেখক-তালিকা [Awarded Authors]. Bangla Academy (in Bengali). Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  10. "BSS Board reconstituted". The Independent. Dhaka. 25 March 2016.
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