Kabir Chowdhury facts for kids

Kabir Chowdhury (born February 9, 1923 – died December 13, 2011) was a very important person from Bangladesh. He was a teacher, a writer, and someone who worked hard to bring people together. He also translated many books from one language to another.

Growing Up and Learning

Kabir Chowdhury was born in a place called Brahmanbaria. This was in a part of British India that is now Bangladesh. His father, Khan Bahadur Abdul Halim Chowdhury, was a government worker. This meant he helped run the country.

Kabir grew up in a family that believed in open-minded ideas and treating everyone equally. Even though his family was very religious, many of his close friends at school were from different religions.

When he studied English literature at Dhaka University in the 1940s, he was inspired by famous writers like H.G. Wells and George Bernard Shaw. During World War II, he was very upset by the terrible things happening. He saw how the Nazis hurt many people and destroyed democratic ways of life.

Because of this, Kabir believed even more strongly in democracy and equality for all. He also became interested in socialist ideas, which focus on fairness and sharing resources.

He studied at universities in Dhaka, Minnesota, and Southern California. For over 50 years, Kabir Chowdhury worked in education and helped promote peace. He also worked to help different cultures understand each other better. He was part of many groups, both in Bangladesh and around the world.

His Work and Contributions

Kabir Chowdhury wrote many books about famous writers and artists from around the world. He also wrote a lot about how to solve problems peacefully through talking. He worked to spread these ideas as a teacher and as a leader.

He taught at Dhaka College and was the principal of B. M. College in Barisal. He also taught English as a professor at Dhaka University for several years. Later, he worked as the Secretary for the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports for the government of Bangladesh. He retired from this job on his own. In 1998, he was given the special title of National Professor of Bangladesh.

Kabir Chowdhury was a leader in the Bangladesh World Peace Council. He also led the Bangladesh-Soviet Friendship Society for more than ten years. He was the president of the Bangladesh Vidyasagar Society. He also chaired the advisory group for the Ekatturer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee. This committee worked to bring justice to those who committed crimes during the 1971 War of Liberation.

In all these roles, he helped spread ideas about equality and democracy. He strongly believed in materialism, which means focusing on the real world and human values. He wrote a lot about fighting against extreme religious views and unfair treatment of different groups. He stressed the importance of understanding different cultures and building a society where everyone belongs.

Throughout his long career, Chowdhury spoke at many meetings around the world. He talked to writers and social activists about literature, fairness, equality, and democracy. He gave speeches in countries like Germany, Russia, the USA, Japan, and India.

He had the chance to meet important leaders like Nelson Mandela, Yasser Arafat, and Kim Il Sung. He also worked with Nobel Peace winner Lord Philip Noel Baker and peace activist Sean Mac Bride. Among famous writers, he worked closely with Faiz Ahmad Faiz from Pakistan and Edward Albee from the USA.

Kabir Chowdhury played a big part in many important movements in Bangladesh. He helped lead efforts against unfair treatment of different groups. He also worked to establish democracy. Most importantly, he strongly supported bringing to justice those who committed terrible crimes during Bangladesh's War of Liberation in 1971.

Books and Translations

• Chekhover Galpa (Chekov's Stories, 1969)
• Samudrer Swad (Taste of the Sea, 1970)
• Great Gatsby (1971)
• The Grapes of Wrath (1989)
• Rupantar (The Metamorphosis (1990)
• Beowulf (1985)
• All the King's Men (1992)
• Girl with a Pearl Earring (2007)
• Galpa Upanyase Pratikriti Chitra (Portraits in Stories and Novels, 2007)

Awards

• Independence Day Award (1997)
• National Professor of Bangladesh (1998)
• Ekushey Padak (1991)
• Bangla Academy Literary Award (1973)
• Mohammad Nasiruddin Literary Award (1986)
• William Carey Award (1994)
• Tagore Peace Award