Mia, Bande Ali
Mia, Bande Ali (1906-1979) poet, novelist, playwright and writer of children’s literature, was born in the village of Radhanagar in pabna district on 15 December 1906.
He passed the Entrance examination (1923) from Majumder Academy in Pabna and studied painting (1927) at the Indian Art Academy in Kolkata. For some time he worked as a journalist in the magazine Islam Darshan, and then taught at a Calcutta Corporation school (1930-1950). He subsequently moved to East Pakistan, where he worked at the dhaka and rajshahi radio stations.
Bande Ali Mia wrote in a variety of genres such as poetry, novel, play, biography and children’s literature. His noteworthy books include poetry anthologies, Mainamatir Char (1930), Anurag (1932), Padmanadir Char (1953), Madhumatir Char (1953), and Dharitri (1975); novels, Basanta Jagrata Dvare (1931), Shes Lagna (1941), Aranya Godhuli (1949), and Nidbhrasta (1958); an anthology of short stories, Taser Ghar (1954); a play, Masnad (1931); juvenile literature, Chor Jamai (1927), Meghkumari (1932), Bagher Ghare Ghoger Basa (1932), Sonar Harin (1939), Shiyal Panditer Pathshala (1956), Kunchbaran Kanya (1961), and Sat Rajyer Galpa (1977); and biographies, Kamal Ataturk (1937), Sharat Chandra and Chhotoder Nazrul (1958).
Bande Ali Mia also worked as a graphic artist and designer. For his contribution to children's literature he was awarded the Bangla Academy Prize (1962), President's Award (1965) and Uttara Sahitya Majlis Padak (1977). He died in Rajshahi on 17 June 1979. [Mahbubul Haque]
