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Sufia Kamal National Public Library (Dhaka)

1954 establishments in PakistanEngvarB from March 2017Libraries in BangladeshLibrary buildings completed in 1958Public libraries
Department of Public Libraries, Dhaka
Department of Public Libraries, Dhaka

The Sufia Kamal National Public Library (Bengali: সুফিয়া কামাল জাতীয় গণগ্রন্থাগার) of Bangladesh is the largest public library in Bangladesh and houses the central administration of the Department of Public Libraries, under the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. The library was previously named as "Central Public Library" between 2004 and 2010. The library is located in Dhaka's Shahbag neighbourhood. The auditorium (Shawkat Osman Auditorium) of the library is a major venue for cultural events in Dhaka, including the International Short and Independent Film Festival. It also houses the Library Training Institute funded and managed by the Library Association of Bangladesh (LAB). It also has a reprography service, in-house bindery and conservation section.

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Sufia Kamal National Public Library (Dhaka)
Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, Dhaka Shahbag

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N 23.736444 ° E 90.394798 °
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Public Library Complex, Bangladesh

Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue
1211 Dhaka, Shahbag
Dhaka Division, Bangladesh
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Department of Public Libraries, Dhaka
Department of Public Libraries, Dhaka
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Kazi Nazrul Islam
Kazi Nazrul Islam

Kazi Nazrul Islam (Bengali: কাজী নজরুল ইসলাম, pronounced [kad͡ʒi ˈnod͡ʒɾul islam] ; 24 May 1899 – 29 August 1976) was a Bengali poet, writer, journalist, and musician. He is the national poet of Bangladesh. Nazrul produced a large body of poetry, music, messages, novels, and stories with themes that included equality, justice, anti-imperialism, humanity, rebellion against oppression and religious devotion. Nazrul Islam's activism for political and social justice as well as writing a poem titled as "Bidrohī", meaning "the rebel" in Bengali, earned him the title of "Bidrohī Kôbi" (Rebel Poet). His compositions form the avant-garde music genre of Nazrul Gīti (Music of Nazrul). Born into a Bengali Muslim Kazi family hailing from Burdwan district in Bengal Presidency (now in West Bengal, India), Nazrul Islam received religious education and as a young man worked as a muezzin at a local mosque. He learned about poetry, drama, and literature while working with the rural theatrical group Leṭor Dôl, Leṭo being a folk song genre of West Bengal usually performed by the people from Muslim community of the region. He joined the British Indian Army in 1917 and was posted in Karachi. Nazrul Islam established himself as a journalist in Calcutta after the war ended. He criticised the British Raj and called for revolution through his famous poetic works, such as "Bidrohī" ('The Rebel') and "Bhangar Gan" ('The Song of Destruction'), as well as in his publication Dhūmketu ('The Comet'). His nationalist activism in Indian independence movement led to his frequent imprisonment by the colonial British authorities. While in prison, Nazrul Islam wrote the "Rajbôndīr Jôbanbôndī" ('Deposition of a Political Prisoner'). His writings greatly inspired Bengalis of East Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War. Nazrul Islam's writings explored themes such as freedom, humanity, love, and revolution. He opposed all forms of bigotry and fundamentalism, including religious, caste-based and gender-based. Nazrul wrote short stories, novels, and essays but is best known for his songs and poems. He introduced the ghazal songs in the Bengali language and is also known for his extensive use of Arabic and Persian influenced Bengali words in his works. Nazrul Islam wrote and composed music for nearly 4,000 songs (many recorded on HMV gramophone records), collectively known as Nazrul Gīti. In 1942 at the age of 43, he began to be affected by an unknown disease, losing his voice and memory. A medical team in Vienna diagnosed the disease as Pick's disease, a rare incurable neurodegenerative disease. It caused Nazrul Islam's health to decline steadily and forced him to live in isolation. He was also admitted in Ranchi (Jharkhand) psychiatric hospital for many years. At the invitation of the Government of Bangladesh, Nazrul Islam's family took him to Bangladesh and moved to Dhaka in 1972. He died on 29 August 1976.

Israt Manzil Palace
Israt Manzil Palace

Israt Manzil was one of the royal residences of the Nawabs of Dhaka. The mansion served as a retreat for members of the Dhaka Nawab Family.Israt Manzil is best known for hosting the opening session of the All India Muhammadan Educational Conference in 1906. The conference, sponsored by Nawab Sir Khwaja Salimullah, the Nawab of Dhaka, established the All India Muslim League, the first Muslim political party of the Indian Subcontinent. The party, which became the prime platform for Indian Muslims and led to the creation of Pakistan, was formed against the backdrop of political agitation by the Indian National Congress against the 1905 Partition of Bengal. During the durbar at Israt Manzil palace, delegates debated the new name to be given to the political party. A party styled as All India Muslim Confederacy was discussed. But, in the process the name All India Muslim League, proposed by Nawab Sir Khwaja Salimullah Bahadur and seconded by Hakim Ajmal Khan, was resolved in the meeting. In 1912, a delegation led by Baron Hardinge of Penshurst, the Viceroy of India, met with Nawab Sir Khwaja Salimullah. During the meeting, Sir Salimullah demanded the establishment of a university for the mainly Muslim people of eastern Bengal. The demands would be realised with the establishment of the University of Dhaka in 1921. The present day Madhur Canteen, situated in the northeastern part of the Arts Faculty compound of Dhaka University was the Jalsaghar of this garden-house. The floor and the spacious surrounding area of the building were covered with marbles. The building was also called 'Skating Pavilion' since members of the Nawab family used to skate there.

2013 Shahbag protests
2013 Shahbag protests

On 5 February 2013, protests began in Shahbag, Bangladesh, following demands for the execution of Abdul Quader Mollah, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment and convicted on five of six counts of war crimes by the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh. Later demands included banning the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami party from politics including election and a boycott of institutions supporting (or affiliated with) the party.Protesters considered Mollah's sentence too lenient given his crimes. Bloggers and online activists called for additional protests at Shahbag and joined the demonstration.Ruling party Awami League supported the protests. However, the main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), initially expressed its support for Jamaat-e-Islami, a political ally. However, the BNP cautiously welcomed the Shahbag protest while warning the government to not exploit the situation for political gain from the movement demanding capital punishment for the war criminals. A counter-protest, questioning the validity of the tribunal and the protest movement and demanding release of those accused and convicted, was called by Jamaat-e-Islami.During the protests, blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider was killed outside his house. On 1 March, five students of North South University were arrested, with those five 'confessing' their involvement in Rajib's killing.On 27 February 2013, the tribunal convicted Delwar Hossain Sayeedi of war crimes and sentenced him to death. Jamaat followers protested and there were violent clashes with police. About 60 people were killed in the confrontations; most were Jamaat-Shibir activists, and others were police and civilians.The movement received considerable criticism in Bangladesh and abroad for allegedly inciting violence and fascism by the use of slogans inciting violence. Death threats and calls for boycotts were made. It was accused of being politically motivated and was seen as disrupting public infrastructure.

Shahbag
Shahbag

Shahbag or Shahbagh (also Shahbaugh, Bengali: শাহবাগ, romanized: Shāhbāg, IPA: [ˈʃaːbaːɣ]) is a major neighbourhood and a police precinct or thana in Dhaka, the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. It is also a major public transport hub. It is a junction between two contrasting sections of the city—Old Dhaka and New Dhaka—which lie, respectively, to its south and north. Developed in the 17th century during Mughal rule in Bengal, when Old Dhaka was the provincial capital and a centre of the flourishing muslin industry, it came to neglect and decay in early 19th century. In the mid-19th century, the Shahbag area was developed as New Dhaka became a provincial centre of the British Raj, ending a century of decline brought on by the passing of Mughal rule. Shahbag is the location of the nation's leading educational and public institutions, including the University of Dhaka, the oldest and largest public university in Bangladesh, Dhaka Medical College, the largest medical college in the country, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), and the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, the largest public university for technological studies in the country. Shahbag hosts many street markets and bazaars. Since Bangladesh achieved independence in 1971, the Shahbag area has become a venue for celebrating major festivals, such as the Bengali New Year and Basanta Utsab. Shahbag's numerous ponds, palaces and gardens have inspired the work of writers, singers, and poets. With Dhaka University at its centre, the thana has been the origin of major political movements in the nation's 20th century history, including the All India Muslim Education Conference in 1905, which led to the All India Muslim League. In 1947, to both the partition of India and the creation of Pakistan; the Bengali Language Movement in 1952, which led to the recognition of Bengali as an official language of Pakistan; and the Six point movement in 1966, which led to the nation's independence. It was here, on 7 March 1971, that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman delivered a historic speech calling for the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan, and here too, later that year, that the Pakistani Army surrendered in the Liberation War of Bangladesh. The area has since become a staging ground for protests by students and other groups. It was the site of public protests by around 30,000 civilians on 8 February 2013, against a lenient ruling against war criminals.