Nilima Ibrahim
Encyclopedia
Nilima Ibrahim (1921–2002) was an Indian
, East Pakistan
i, and later Bangladesh
i educationist, littérateur and social worker. She is well known for her outstanding scholarship on Bangla literature but even more so for her depiction of raped and tortured women in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War
in her book Ami Virangona Bolchhi (I, the heroine, speaks).
in 1943. She would also earn a doctorate in Bengali from the University of Dhaka
in 1959.
, where she was appointed as a lecturer in 1956, and as a professor of Bengali in 1972.
She also served as the chairperson of the Bangla Academy
, and as the Vice Chairperson of the World Women's Federation's South Asian Zone.
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
, East Pakistan
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...
i, and later Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
i educationist, littérateur and social worker. She is well known for her outstanding scholarship on Bangla literature but even more so for her depiction of raped and tortured women in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War was an armed conflict pitting East Pakistan and India against West Pakistan. The war resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh....
in her book Ami Virangona Bolchhi (I, the heroine, speaks).
Early life
She was born on 11 January 1921 in Bagerhat subdivision, Khulna to zamindar Prafulla Roychowdhury and Kusumkumari Devi.Education
She passed her school leaving examination and entrance level examinations from the Khulna Coronation Girl's School (1937) and from the Victoria Institution (1939) in Calcutta. Later she earned bachelors' degrees in arts and teaching from the Scottish Church College, which was followed by an MA in Bengali literature from the University of CalcuttaUniversity of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta is a public university located in the city of Kolkata , India, founded on 24 January 1857...
in 1943. She would also earn a doctorate in Bengali from the University of Dhaka
University of Dhaka
The University of Dhaka is the oldest university in Bangladesh. It is a multi-disciplinary research university and is among the top universities in the region. Established on July 21, 1921, as per the Government of India Act, 1920, it was modelled on the Universities in England and soon gained...
in 1959.
Career
She was a career academic. She taught in respectively the Khulna Coronation Girl's School, Loreto House, the Victoria Institution, and finally at the University of DhakaUniversity of Dhaka
The University of Dhaka is the oldest university in Bangladesh. It is a multi-disciplinary research university and is among the top universities in the region. Established on July 21, 1921, as per the Government of India Act, 1920, it was modelled on the Universities in England and soon gained...
, where she was appointed as a lecturer in 1956, and as a professor of Bengali in 1972.
She also served as the chairperson of the Bangla Academy
Bangla Academy
Bangla Academy , established on 3 December 1955, is the national academy for promoting Bangla language in Bangladesh. The main office of the organization is located at the Burdwan House, once a part of the campus of the University of Dhaka, beside Suhrawardy Udyan.-History:The importance of...
, and as the Vice Chairperson of the World Women's Federation's South Asian Zone.
Non-fiction
- Sharat-Pratibha (The Creative Faculty of Sharatchanda), 1960,
- Banglar Kavi Madhusudan (Madhushudan, the Poet of Bengal), 1961,
- Unabingsha Shatabdir Bangali Samaj o Bangla Natak (Bengali Society and Bangla Drama in the Nineteenth Century), 1964,
- Bangla Natak: Utsa o Dhara (Bangla Drama: Origin and Development), 1972,
- Begum Rokeya, 1974,
- Bangalimanas o Bangla Sahitya (Bengali Mentality and Bangla Literature), 1987,
- Sahitya-Sangskrtir Nana Prasanga (Various Aspects of Literature and Culture), 1991
Fiction
- Bish Shataker Meye (Girl of the Twentieth Century), 1958,
- Ek Path Dui Bank (The Forked Road), 1958,
- Keyabana Sancharini (Traveller of Keya Forest), 1958,
- Bahni Balya (The Bangle of Fire), 1985
Plays
- Due Due Char (Two and Two Make Four), 1964,
- Je Aranye Alo Nei (The Dark Forest), 1974,
- Rodjwala Bikel (The Sunburnt Afternoon), 1974,
- Suryaster Par (After Sunset), 1974
Translations
- Eleanor Roosevelt, 1955,
- Kathashilpi James Fenimor Cooper (Storyteller James Fenimore Cooper), 1968,
- Bostoner Pathe Pathe (On the Streets of Boston), 1969
Narratives/Ethnography (of women raped in the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war)
- Ami Virangana Bolchhi (I, the Heroine, Speaks), 1996
Selected awards
- Bangla Academy AwardBangla Academy AwardBangla Academy Award is a literary award given by the Bangla Academy of Bangladesh in recognition of creative genius in advancement and overall contribution in the field of Bangla language and literature....
(1969) - Michael Madhusudan Award (1987)
- Lekhika Sangha Award (1989)
- Ananya Literary Award (1996)
- Begum Rokeya Medal (1996)
- Bangabandhu Award (1997)
- Ekushey PadakEkushey PadakEkushey Padak is one of the highest civilian awards in Bangladesh, introduced in memory of the martyrs of the Language Movement of 1952 that took place on February 21, 1952.-2001:*Shah Abdul Karim...
(2000)