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BEGUM SULTANA ISLAM – RECEPIENT OF QUEEN CORONATION AWARD

Begum Sultana Islam, founder president of National Women Federation, Bangladesh received the Queen’s Coronation Award in 1953 in recognition of the outstanding social service in the erstwhile East Pakistan. Begum Sultana Islam was a social worker, an educator, writer, journalist and a devoted mother.

CHILDHOOD: Sultana was born in an illustrious Muslim family in Calcutta around 1925. Her maternal grandfather was Sir Abdur Rahim, the Chief Justice of Madras and the author of ‘The Jurisprudence of Mohammaden Law’ published in 1911, and her paternal grandfather was Maulvi Mahmud, Principal of Calcutta Aliya Madrasa. Orphaned at an early age Sultana was raised by her grandmother Tamanna Begum, and uncle Azizur Rahman – zamindar of Bankura, West Bengal.

Her grandmother, a pious and religious lady was well known for her generosity and social services. From childhood Sultana joined her grandmother in serving the poor, destitute, the needy and those who were rejected by the society with food, clothing and help. Thus at a young age Sultana’s grandmother had embedded in her the importance of “Service to Mankind”.

ACHIEVEMENTS: During her college years (1940 – 1944) she worked as Joined Secretary of All Women’s India Conference district branch under the leadership of Mrs Leela Roy, wife of Annada Sankar Roy (a veteran writer of wide repute who was honored with Padmabhusan, Rabindra and Vidyasagar awards). Sultana found in this giving great satisfaction in helping the poor and needy, and this pleasure in giving continued through her life towards the betterment of society- particularly in the cause of women and children. After her marriage and India’s partition Sultana and her husband moved to East Pakistan. Between 1949 –1960 she joined ‘All Pakistan Women Association’ (APWA), and worked as the treasurer, secretary and later as the vice president. It is during this time that Sultana Islam in 1953 received the Queen’s Coronation Award.

Sultana did not rest on her laurels. Like so many women of influence, she looked for new challenges and ways to be useful. As she got older, she was still able to accomplish some of her most important work.

In 1971, after Bangladesh liberation the war torn country was left with myriad of problems. Sultana immediately took the initiative to participate in the reconstruction. She organized the women in Dhaka and founded the National Women Federation (NWF) in 1972.

Sultana worked with Mother Teressa to rehabilitate war children; helped the war affected women at Mrs Anna Maria’s clinic. To repatriate stranded Bangladeshi’s from Pakistan she led the women in demonstrating to the Government the urgency of repatriating them. She delivered speeches, led processions, met the diplomats and heads of UN bodies to raise international awareness—which drew the attention of the international organization and soon the stranded Bangladeshis where repatriated. NWF helped to rehabilitate them by helping them with housing, ration cards and children’s education.

Once the initial problems of the new nation were settled, she devoted her energies to other necessary and not always popular causes like women literacy (basic education), opened a primary school for the street children, ran several self-earning projects like poultry farming, husking paddy, rearing goats, sewing and knitting for the poor women living in the outskirts of Dhaka and gave them interest free loans.

Amongst the many projects of the NWF she was passionate about the Children’s Kidney Dialysis Unit at Dhaka Shishu (children’s) Hospital. Sultana and NWF members visited the hospital and observed the miseries of the children with renal problems. It reminded her of Victor Hugo’s famous sayings from ‘Les Miserables’ – “He who has only beheld the misery of man has seen nothing; the misery of woman is what he must see; he who has seen only the misery of women has seen nothing; He must see the misery of the child.”

She did not lose an opportunity of urging a practical beginning, however small, for she believed in such matters the mustard seed germinates and roots itself. On April 1989 under her leadership the NWF established the first Children’s Kidney Dialysis Unit comprised of four beds in collaboration with Dhaka Shishu Hospital. Today the unit has expanded to ten free beds for the needy and two paid beds. Many under-privileged children from rural areas receive free treatment here.

Sultana was the chairman of Jatiyo Mahila Samity 1991. During her tenure she re-organized the adult literacy curriculum and included religious and health care classes. The women folks were also given legal aid. This was much appreciated by them.

Sultana Islam represented Bangladesh internationally in many occasions. During every visit she raised Bangladesh image, and spoke about progress and needs of women and children of Bangladesh.

In 1975 she and NWF General Secretary were invited as the state guest in United Arab Emirates by H.E. Sheikha Fatema. They apprised H.E. Sheikha Fatema about the women and children of Bangladesh. H.E. Sheikha Fatema contributed in kind (sewing machines, knitting machines) to the organization to train the destitute women. Their visit received excellent media coverage in the UAE. In 1985 she participated at the Nairobi World Women Conference. In her talk she mentioned that – “The social structure should be based on honesty and morality—where human values should be given more importance, and where weak and strong can live together in harmony and peace”. The same year she participated at the expert group meeting of Commonwealth Conference on ‘Women and Violence’ in London. In 1986 she participated at the ‘General Federation of Iraqi Women’ in Baghdad. She also represented Bangladesh in Beijing at the UN ‘Women Year’ conference in 1995.

Sultana Islam always thought ahead of her time. In-addition to uplifting the disadvantaged society, she also raised awareness nationally and internationally for peace and harmony irrespective of caste, creed, color and emphasized the importance of human values.

At University of Toronto, Canada she spoke on ‘The Importance of Human Values’ where she mentioned “God has honored women by giving them the power of being able to give birth. The world salutes this glorious privilege of motherhood. If women with this unique privilege can work together with their children’s youthful force they will be successful with their mission. The mission - people of the global world will live together in peace and harmony. If women succeeds—once again it will be proved “The hands that rock the cradle can rule the world”.

Sultana Islam was an avid reader and a prolific writer.

Around 1939, Sultana organized a women’s youth club and started a monthly magazine called ‘Jagoran’ (awakening) of which she was the first women editor in Bankura. The magazine was circulated in Bengal. Many famous writers like Anadasankar Roy and others contributed their articles to the magazine. In 1942, she was the first women editor of the College Magazine at Bankura Christian College. Many of her short stories and poems were published in Ananda Bazar, Jugantor and Sawkat newspapers. In 1941 the great poet -Rabindranath Tagore visited Bankura. Sultana was selected by the organizing committee to welcome the great poet with her poem. Tagore was impressed by her creative writing, and invited Sultana to join Shantinekatan In 1957 some of her written dramas were staged at the British Council. She also translated “Tom Sawyer Detective” from English to Bangla.

Sultana Islam was very appreciative of her tradition and culture and was a practicing Muslim. In order to preserve all that information for the future generation in 1987 she wrote and published ‘Woman’s World’. Part I described many traditional methods of taking care of the new born, food recipes and Part II related to Islamic teachings and prayers.

Sultana Islam was also an excellent educator and a counselor to the new generation. In 1950’s after arriving in Dhaka she realized the absence of good quality English medium primary schools for children. In 1955 she founded the Little Blossoms Kindergarten School, and was also the founder member of Tejgaon Girls High School.

SULTANA’S EDUCATION: Education was one of her first love. She believed “knowledge is power”.

During Sultana’s childhood, Muslim women practiced ‘Purdah’. She learned Arabic, English and Math from the house tutor. She was not satisfied with the limited knowledge and wanted a formal education like her neighbors of other sect. The beginning of pursuing her formal education was a memorable and sensational event. When she was around seven years, one day she was brave to take the school bus with her neighbors to visit their school, Lal Bazar Christian Girls School. At the school she met the senior teacher who was their family friend, and expressed her desire to join the school. The faculty placed her in class one after taking her test and interview. Sultana enjoyed the studies and returned home after school. She was a bit scared that her guardians would punish her for going out without informing them. On the contrary the guardians secretly admired her courage, and supported her to pursue her education.

She believed - sometimes you have to stand up to those you love most in-order to turn your dreams into realities. She took the initiative to study and every year came out first in her class - convincing her family that she was doing the right thing. In 1943, Sultana was the first Muslim woman to graduate with Bengali Honors from Bankura Christian College, affiliated under Calcutta University. Then she moved to Calcutta to study Master’s in English at Calcutta University.

Sultana Islam was equally dedicated to her family. Her husband Shamsul Islam was the Chief Engineer of Water and Power Development Authority, Dhaka who died in his early fifties. Shamsul Islam was a supporter of Sultana’s work, and encouraged her towards her volunteer services. She was the mother of four (two sons and two daughters) and seven grand children. Sultana ensured that they received the best education and completed their higher education. She raised them in a liberal way in the one hand, and on the other hand ensured that they understood the importance of possessing good ethics and moral values, in-order, to become valued members of the society.

Sultana Islam died in August 16, 2003. Sultana had a dream, a vision, and she acted on the implementation of its success. To her success was “To have looked for the best in people instead of the worst; to leave the world a little better … a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has a fuller span or breathed a little easier because you have lived”.

--Stapati (talk) 13:41, 24 October 2008 (UTC)