Chhayanaut bids farewell to Sanjida Khatun

‘Amar Mukti Aloyo Aloyo Ai Akash’ – like this song, Sanjida Khatun, the beacon of Bangla cultural movement and co-founder and president of Chhayanaut, bid farewell to the world forever.

Her body was brought to the Chhayanaut premises on Wednesday (March 26) afternoon.

Her colleagues, students and cultural artists, including people from various walks of life, paid last tribute to her. Colleagues and students paid tribute to her by singing songs.

Eminent figures in the cultural field became nostalgic while talking about her. They said that Sanjida Khatun was like a banyan tree. Her departure will create a void in the cultural arena of Bangladesh. Her contribution to the cultural field of Bangladesh is unforgettable.

Sanjida Khatun died on Tuesday afternoon while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in the capital. She was 91.

Sonjida Khatun, daughter of Kazi Motahar Hossain, founder of the Statistics Department of Dhaka University and also a National Professor, was born on April 4, 1933.

She started her education at Kamrunnesa School. She then studied at Eden College and Dhaka University. Later, she studied at Visva-Bharati University in Shantiniketan.

After completing her graduation in Bangla Language and Literature from Dhaka University, she obtained a master's degree from Rabindra Bharati University and a PhD in 1978. After teaching for a long time, she retired from the Bangla Language and Literature Department of Dhaka University.

Most of Sanjida Khatun's writings are about Rabindranath Tagore. She played an important role in making the poet widely known. While a university student, she practiced pure music and actively participated in the Language Movement of 1952. At that time, her fellow soldiers called her 'Minu Apa'.

In the early 1960s, Sanjida Khatun was one of the founders of Chayanaut, an organization dedicated to Bangla culture. Under her leadership, Chayanaut today plays a leading role in the spread of classical music and dance worldwide. She was also a founding member of the National Rabindra Sangeet Sammilan Parishad. In addition to serving as the president of the Nalanda Shishu Shiksha Sansthan, she was an honorary fellow of the Asiatic Society.

She was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award of the Government of India, along with the Ekushey Padak, the Bangla Academy Literary Award and the Rabindra Smriti Puraskar of West Bengal.

She has authored 16 books. Her notable books include ‘Sanskritik Mukti Sangram’, which captures the memories of the Liberation War and the history of the cultural struggle of Bengalis, and ‘Amar Rabindranath’, which is written on the life, literature and culture of Rabindranath Tagore. Apart from this, his other books include ‘Rabindra Sangeet’s Bhavasampada’, ‘Rabindranath’s hate haat rekho’ and ‘Rabindranath: Tar akash bhora kole’ etc.

Notable among his edited books are ‘Roilo Tahar Bani: Roilo Bhora Sure’ and ‘Gitabitan: Tathya O Bhabsabdhan’.