Abu Zafar Obaidullah
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Abu Zafar Obaidullah | |
|---|---|
আবু জাফর ওবায়েদুল্লাহ | |
 | |
| Minister of Agriculture | |
| In office 1 August 1982 – 31 May 1984 | |
| President | Hussain Muhammad Ershad |
| Preceded by | Fasihuddin Mahtab |
| Succeeded by | Abdul Haleem Chowdhury |
| Minister of Water Resources | |
| In office 11 February 1982 – 1 June 1984 | |
| President | Hussain Muhammad Ershad |
| Preceded by | L. K. Siddiqi |
| Succeeded by | M. H. Khan |
| 11th Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States | |
| In office 8 November 1984 – 10 December 1984 | |
| President | Hussain Muhammad Ershad |
| Prime Minister | Ataur Rahman Khan |
| Preceded by | Humayun Rashid Choudhury |
| Succeeded by | A. H. S. Ataul Karim |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Abu Zafar Mohammad Obaidullah Khan 8 February 1934 |
| Died | 19 March 2001 (aged 67) |
| Parent |
|
| Relatives |
|
| Alma mater | University of Dhaka |
| Awards |
|
Abu Zafar Obaidullah (8 February 1934 – 19 March 2001)[1] was a Bangladeshi poet and civil servant. Two of his long poems, Aami-Kingbodontir-Kathaa Bolchi and Bristi O Shahosi Purush-er Jonyo Prarthona, have become famous since their first publication in the late 1970s.
On 8 February 1934 poet Abu Zafar Mohammad Obaidullah Khan was born in Baherchar-Kshudrakathi village under Babuganj upazila of Barisal District on 8 February 1934, in British India. He was the second son of Justice Abdul Jabbar Khan, a speaker of the Pakistan national assembly. His brothers include journalist Enayetullah Khan and politician Rashed Khan Menon. He received his primary education in Mymensingh town where his father Abdul Jabbar Khan was working as the district judge. In 1948, he passed the matriculation examination from the Mymensingh Zilla School. He passed the Intermediate in Arts examination as a student of the Dhaka College in 1950. He was then admitted into the University of Dhaka to study English and after securing B.A. (Honours) and M.A. degrees, he joined the same university in 1954 as a lecturer in the Department of English. He appeared in the Pakistan Superior Service Examinations and having stood second in the combined national merit list, he joined the Civil Service of Pakistan in 1957.
Career
Obaidullah was promoted as Secretary to the Government of Bangladesh in 1976 and after retiring in 1982, he accepted the position of Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources in 1982. Later he also served as Bangladesh's Ambassador to the United States of America. In 1992, he became the Assistant Director General of FAO Regional Office in Bangkok; he retired from this position four years later.[2]
Participation in Language Movement
Obaidullah actively participated in the Language Movement of 1952. He composed "Kono Ek Ma-key" ("To a Mother") for the first anthology on Ekushey, which is recited at the Central Shaheed Minar on 21 February every year.
Padaboli
Obaidullah founded "Padaboli" which became the leading poetry movement of Bangladesh in the 1980s.
Obaidullah was one of the pioneers of the Dhaka-centric group theatre movement that originated in the 1950s. Along with Syed Maksudus Saleheen, Taufiq Aziz Khan and Bazlul Karim he established Drama Circle in 1956.[3]
Awards
- Ekushey Padak (1985)[4]
- Bangla Academy Literary Award (1979)
