Bangla Academy
Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenu
(Dhaka University Area)
Dhaka-1000
Telephone:8619577,8619583
Fax:88 02 8612352

Bangla Academy  founded on 3 December 1955 at Burdwan House, Dhaka, was the outcome of the language movementof 1952, and, as such, a symbol of the movement and of Bengali nationalism. Since its inception, it has been playing a significant role in the development and modernisation of Bangla.

Though 1952 is a milepost in the language movement, the struggle to give Bangla due recognition may be traced back to the second decade of the 20th century. At a meeting of the vangiya sahitya parishadin 1925, chaired by haraprasad shastri, Drmuhammad shahidullahproposed the use of Bangla for academic and literary purposes. At the All-India Muslim Education Conference chaired by ak fazlul huq, he called upon the Government of Bengal to set up a translation department. On 31 December 1948, in his presidential address at the East Pakistan Literary Conference held in Dhaka, he proposed the establishment of a language academy.

After the events of 21 February 1952 the demand for establishing a centre like Bangla Academy became stronger. On 29 April 1952 the azad, a leading Bangla newspaper, in its editorial stressed the importance of setting up an academy for Bangla. The university of dhakatook some initiatives to set up an academy, but the attempt fell through.

In the provincial elections of 1954 the united front, led by Maulana abdul hamid khan bhasani, AK Fazlul Huq and huseyn shaheed suhrawardy, defeated the muslim league. In its twenty-one point election manifesto, the United Front had proposed turning Burdwan House, the official residence of the chief minister-who had ordered the firing on 21 February 1952-into a student hostel for the time being and into a centre for research on Bangla language later. Fazlul Huq, the chief minister of the newly formed United Front Government, took some steps to set up an academy, but the dissolution of the United Front Government and the imposition of Governor's Rule in East Pakistan in May frustrated the attempt.

In June Governor's Rule was withdrawn, and the United Front again came to power. This time they kept their election promise and, on 3 December 1955, abu hossain sarkar, the new chief minister, inaugurated Bangla Academy at Burdwan House, thus recognizing the significance of Bangla as the mother tongue of the people of East Pakistan.

The Academy was initially a government institution and was run by a committee. mohammad barkatullahwas appointed secretary and special officer of the Academy. On 1 December 1956, Dr muhammad enamul haqtook over charge as the first Director of the Academy. In 1957, the Bangla Academy Act was passed, giving the academy the status of an autonomous organisation, financed by the government.

The functions and structure of the Academy have been devised on the model of the French Academy. The main function of the Academy is the promotion and development of Bangla. It is also involved in research and publication on Bangla language and literature. It has five divisions: Research, Translation, Compilation, Publication and Library. It has a considerable folklore collection, including puthis (manuscripts) of ancient and medieval periods, folk songs, folk tales, rhymes, puzzles etc., some of which has been published. It has published textbooks and reference books in Bangla, collected works of major Bangla writers, textbooks and reference books in Bangla, Bangla translations of books on literature, history, sciences, social sciences, etc, as well as translations of major works in Bangla into foreign languages.

One of the Academy's major contributions to Bangla has been its work of compiling and publishing dictionaries and encyclopaedias. Among the dictionaries published by the Academy are Bengali-English Dictionary, English-Bengali Dictionary, Arbi-Bangla Abhidhan (Arabic-Bangla Dictionary), Bangla Uchcharan Abhidhan (Dictionary of Bangla Pronunciation), Bangla Banan-Abhidhan (Dictionary of Bangla Orthography), Sangksipta Bangla Abhidhan (Concise Bangla Dictionary), Aitihasik Abhidhan (Dictionary of Historical Events), Bangladesher Anchalik Bhasar Abhidhan (A Lexicon of Bangladeshi Dialects), Arthaniti Abhidhan (Dictionary of Economics), Samajbijnan Shabdakos (Glossary of Sociology), Ain-Kos (Glossary of Law), Sahitya-Kos (Dictionary of Literature), Sangit-Kos (Glossary of Music), Nazrul Shabdakos (Nazrul Dictionary). It has also published a number of encyclopaedias and biographical dictionaries such as Bijnan Bishvakosh (Science Encyclopedia), Charitabhidhan (Biographical Dictionary), and Lekhak Abhidhan (Dictionary of Writers). Among its other contributions to the development of Bangla is its guideline for Bangla spelling. One of its recommendations is the substitution of ই (i) for ঈ (i).

During the Pakistan period, Bangla Academy was a semi-government organisation. In the financial year 1960-61 it received an annual grant of Rs two lakh from the provincial government and a regular annual grant of Rs one lakh from the central government. In 1969-70 the grant was increased, but it was not sufficient to meet the requirements of the Academy. After the liberation of Bangladesh, the Central Board for Development of Bengali, run by the earlier Central Government of Pakistan, was merged with the Bangla Academy and the administrative structure of the Academy was changed. The post of Director was upgraded to that of Director General. Two separate new divisions? were opened: Textbook and Folklore. The allocation of the government increased to 32 lakh in 1972-73. After 25 years of independence the fourth five-year plan (1991-95) allocated Taka six crore for publication. The Bangla Academy is the biggest publishing house of the country, and, up to July 2000, had published 4034 books and journals. The printing press of the Academy is quite modern and equipped with computers. The Academy has more than two hundred officers and employees to conduct its business.

The Academy publishes six journals: the bangla academy patrika (quarterly), Uttaradhikar (quarterly), the Bangla Academy Bijnan Patrika (half-yearly), the Bangla Academy Journal (half-yearly in English), Dhanshaliker Desh (juvenile quarterly) and Lekha (monthly). Apart from publications, the Bangla Academy also holds seminars and discussions on different subjects, cultural functions, etc. It arranges Bangla language courses for foreigners as well as technical training and Bangla word processing. It has a young writers' project and also provides research scholarships. The annual book fair held in February has become an important literary and cultural event, for which writers and publishers strive to publish new books. Lectures are arranged during the month on various aspects of Bangla language and literature. Cultural functions are also held throughout the month, highlighting Bengali culture. The Bangla Academy Literary Award given on the occasion of ekushey februaryis considered a very prestigious award. [Bashir Al Helal]

Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah (1885-1969)

Shahidullah, Muhammad (1885-69) educationist, writer and philologist, was born at Peyara village of 24 Parganas in west bengalon 10 July 1885. His father, Mafizuddin Ahmad, was a warden at the shrine of Pir Gorachand. But he was able to forsake this hereditary task and devote himself to the study of language and learning. He learnt Urdu, Persian and Arabic at home and Sanskrit in school. He passed his Entrance examination (1904) from Howrah Zila School and FA (1906) from Presidency College, Calcutta, and took admission in Hughli College (1906-8). After a temporary break of study because of illness, he passed BA with Honours in Sanskrit (1910) from City College, Calcutta, and MA (1912) in comparative philology from the University of Calcutta. He also obtained his BL degree two years later in 1914.

He began teaching in Jessore Zila School (1908-09). After working as headmaster of Sitakunda High School for some time (1914-1915), he started to practise law at Bashirhat in 24 Parganas. He was elected vice-chairman of the town's municipality. Later, he worked as Sharatchandra Lahiri Research Fellow (1919-21) under dinesh chandra senat the University of Calcutta and joined the university of dhakaas a lecturer (1921) in Sanskrit and Bangla. His years at the University of Dhaka constituted the most important period of his life. While teaching here, he did research on the origins of the bangla language. In 1925 he was able to show that Bangla originated from Gaudi or Magdhi Prakrt.

Muhammad Shahidullah went to Europe for higher studies in 1926, and learnt Vedic Sanskrit, Buddhist Sanskrit, comparative philology, and Tibetan and ancient Persian language at University of Paris, and ancient Khotni, ancient Vedic Sanskrit and Prakrt at Freiburg University in Germany. He received his doctorate from the Sorbonne in Paris in 1928 for his research on the distiches of the charyapada, the earliest extant specimens of Bangla language. He was the first Indian Muslim to receive the doctorate degree. He also received a diploma for his fundamental research in phonetics from the University of Paris the same year. After completing his doctorate, he returned home and started teaching. When the Sanskrit and Bangla Department was split into two separate departments, he became head of the Bangla Department in 1937 and retired from this position in 1944.

However, Shahidullah continued to work despite his retirement. He became principal of Bogra azizul huq collegeafter retirement. He then rejoined the Bangla Department of the University of Dhaka as a supernumerary teacher and taught there for six yeas as departmental head and dean of the faculty of arts. Besides, he taught part-time at the Law Department (1922-25) and the International Relation Department (as teacher of French) (1953-55). He also worked as head of the Bangla and Sanskrit Department of the university of rajshahifrom 1955-58.

In addition to teaching, he worked as editor of the Urdu Abhidhan Prakalpa (Urdu dictionary project, 1959-60) of the Karachi-based Urdu Development Centre, Purba Pakistani Bhasar Adarsha Abhidhan Prakalpa (Standard dictionary of languages of East Pakistan project, 1960) and Islami Biswakos Prakalpa (Islamic encyclopaedia project, 1961-64). He was a resident teacher of Salimullah Muslim Hall (1921-25) and provost of Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall (1940-44). He became a member of the Islamic University Commission (1963-64), and of the executive committee of the Islamic Academy (1963-64). He also served as the chairman of the Bangla Academy Bangla Almanac Arrangement Committee (1963-64). He was also made permanent chairman of the Adamjee Literature Award and Daud Literature Award committees.

Muhammad Shahidullah played an important role in the language movement. He was the first to establish the reasons why Bangla, instead of Urdu, should be the state language of Pakistan. Earlier, he was secretary to the Bengal Muslim Literary Society (1911) and had presided over many important meetings and conventions, including the second Bengal Muslim Literary Convention (1917), Muslim Literary Society Convention in Dhaka (1926), All-Bengal Muslim Youth Convention in Calcutta (1928), All-India Oriental Studies Convention (Philology, 1941) and East Pakistan Literary Convention (1948). He also represented UNESCO at the International Seminar on Traditional Culture in South-East Asia in Madras and was elected its chairman.

His writings on language, literature and culture were published in many magazines and newspapers; and he himself edited many such publications. He worked as an associate editor of Al Eslam (Islam, 1915) and was joint editor of bangiya mussalman sahitya patrika (Literary magazine of the Muslims of Bengal, 1918-21). He edited and published the first children's magazine of Muslim Bengal, Angur (Grapes, 1920). In addition, he edited a monthly called The Peace (1923), the monthly literary magazine Bangabhumi (The land of Bengal, 1937) and the fortnightly Taqbir (Call, 1947).

Muhammad Shahidullah delved deep into the history of Old and Middle Age Bangla literature, wrote books on these subjects, and gave pointers to solve many specificities of Bangla language and literature. He also took active interest in Bangla folk literature. Apart from research works, he wrote for children. He also translated and edited a number of books. Noteworthy among his books are Sindabad Saodagarer Galpa (The stories of the merchant Sindbad, 1922), Bhasa O Sahitya (Language and literature, essays, 1931), Bangala Byakaran (Bangla grammar, 1936), Diwan-i-Hafiz (Poems of Hafiz, translation, 1938), Shikwah O Jawab-i-Shikwah (Questions and their answers, translation from Iqbal, 1942), Rubaiyat-i-Omar Khaiyam (Quatrains of Omar Khayyam, translation, 1942), Essays on Islam (1945), Amader Samasya (Our problems, essays, 1949), Padmavati (Volume I ed, 1950), Bangla Sahityer Katha (History of Bangla literature, Volume I in 1953, Volume II in 1965), Vidyapati Shatak (Collection of Vidyapati's songs, text analysis, 1954), Bangla Adab Ki Tarikh (History of Bangla literature, essays, in Urdu, 1957), Bangla Sahityer Itihas (History of Bangla literature, 1957), Bangala Bhasar Itibrtta (History of Bangla language, 1959), Qur'an Sharif (The Qur'an, 1963), Amarkabya (Unforgettable poetical works, 1963), Sekaler Rupkatha (Fairy tales of ancient time, 1965), etc. The dictionary of regional dialects published under his editorship is another noteworthy work associated with him. He edited Traditional Culture in East Pakistan in collaboration with muhammad abdul hai. His Buddhist Mystic Songs (1960) is a translation and an edited version of the Charyapada. He was the first to note that Charyapada is completely written in Bangla and to highlight the religious philosophy of the work.

Shahidullah was a polyglot and an expert in philology. He knew many languages and thus had access to the treasures of many different literatures. He was a pious Muslim, and all his books on religion reflect his deep faith in Islam. He addressed public gatherings at different places to uphold the importance of Islam. He was awarded the 'Pride of Performance' Award by the Pakistan government, made Professor Emeritus by the University of Dhaka (1967) and awarded 'Knight of the Orders of Art and Letters' by the French government (1967) for his lifetime achievement in research on language and literature. Popularly known as Jnantapas, or one ardently desirous of attaining knowledge, Shahidullah died in Dhaka on 3 July 1969 and was buried on the campus of Shahidullah Hall of the university. [Badiuzzaman]

Source: www.Banglapedia.org