Shamsur Rahman: Poet of Independent Bangladesh
Shamsur Rahman (1929–2006), Bangladesh's unofficial poet laureate — author of "Asader Shirt" and "Swadhinata Tumi", and editor of Dainik Bangla for a decade.
Biographies of Influential Figures in Bangladesh
Jasimuddin: The Palli Kabi Who Sang Rural Bengal
Jasimuddin (1903–1976), Bengal's Palli Kabi and poet of rural Bengal: creator of Nakshi Kanthar Math and Sojan Badiar Ghat, collector of 10,000 folk songs.
Read MoreHason Raja: The Mystic Bard of Sunamganj
Hason Raja (1854–1922), the Sunamganj zamindar who gave up luxury for mystic song: his life, his songs, and the fame Tagore carried from Sylhet to Oxford.
Read MoreQudrat-i-Khuda: Scientist and Education Reformer of Bangladesh
Qudrat-i-Khuda (1900–1977): organic chemist, founder of the laboratories behind BCSIR, Bengali science writer and chairman of the 1972 education commission.
Read MoreBrojen Das: The First Asian to Swim the English Channel
Brojen Das (1927–1998), the Bikrampur swimmer who in 1958 became first Asian to cross the English Channel, crossed it six times and set a world record in 1961.
Read MoreJibanananda Das: Poet of Rupasi Bangla
Jibanananda Das (1899–1954), the Barisal-born modernist poet of Rupasi Bangla and "Banalata Sen", was neglected in life and rediscovered after death.
Read MoreHumayun Ahmed: Creator of Himu and Misir Ali
Humayun Ahmed (1948–2012), creator of Himu and Misir Ali, wrote over 200 bestselling books and reshaped Bangladeshi literature, television and film.
Read MoreMuhammad Yunus: Founder of Grameen Bank and Nobel Peace Laureate
Muhammad Yunus (born 1940), Bangladeshi economist and founder of Grameen Bank, pioneered microcredit and shared the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize with the bank.
Read MoreBegum Sufia Kamal: Poet and Pioneer of the Women's Movement in Bangladesh
Begum Sufia Kamal (1911–1999): self-taught Bengali poet of Sanjher Maya, founding president of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad and conscience of the nation.
Read MoreFazlur Rahman Khan: The Dhaka Engineer Who Reinvented the Skyscraper
Fazlur Rahman Khan, the Dhaka-born engineer behind the Hancock Center and Sears Tower, reinvented the skyscraper through his tubular structural designs.
Read MoreZainul Abedin: Shilpacharya and Father of Modern Art in Bangladesh
Zainul Abedin (1914-1976), Shilpacharya of Bangladesh: his searing famine sketches of 1943, the Dhaka art institute he founded, and his folk-art revival.
Read MoreJagadish Chandra Bose: Pioneer of Radio and Plant Science
Bikrampur-born physicist Jagadish Chandra Bose demonstrated millimetre-wave wireless in 1895, pioneered plant physiology, and founded the Bose Institute.
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