Sayeed Ahmed (1 January 1931 – 21 January 2010) was a Bangladeshi dramatist, playwright, writer and sitar player.[1] He was awarded Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1974 and Ekushey Padak in 2010 by the Government of Bangladesh.[2]

Sayeed Ahmed
সাঈদ আহমদ
Born(1931-01-01)1 January 1931
Died21 January 2010(2010-01-21) (aged 79)
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Alma mater
OccupationPlaywright
FatherMirza F Mohammad
Relatives

Background

edit

Ahmed was born on 1 January 1931 at Islampur in Old Dhaka in the-then Bengal Presidency in British India into a Mirza family.[3] His mother was Jamila Khatun.[4] His father, Mirza Fakir Mohammad, was the owner of a commercial theatre, Lion Theatre, at Islampur.[5] Ahmed had three elder brothers – Nasir Ahmed, radio personality and journalist Nazir Ahmed and painter Hamidur Rahman.[5] Ahmed studied at Dhaka Collegiate School.[5] He completed his bachelor's in international studies from the University of Dhaka.[4] He later studied for his master's at the London School of Economics in 1954.[5] In 1956, Ahmed moved back to Lahore and joined the public service.[5]

Career

edit

Ahmed, along with Shamsur Rahman and Hasan Hafizur Rahman, compose and wrote radio plays in the early 1950s.[5] He played sitar in BBC and acted on stage in London and New York.[5][6] He was the sitarist during the Europe tour of Uday Shankar.[5]

Ahmed served as the secretary of Ministry of Youth and Sports and the director general of Bangladesh Television.[5] He served as guest lecturer in Georgetown University, and other academies in Brazil, China, France, Germany, The Netherlands, India, Japan, Malaysia and Russia.[5]

Personal life

edit

Ahmed was married to Parvin Ahmed.[4] He had two brothers - journalist Nazir Ahmed and sculptor Hamidur Rahman.[7]

Works

edit
  • Kalbela (originally written as The Thing in English; 1962)[5]
  • Milepost (1965)
  • Trishnay (1968)
  • Ek Din Protidin (1974)
  • Shesh Nawab (1988)

Ahmed's plays was translated into French, German, Italian, Urdu and Punjabi and were staged by different troupes in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and United States.[5] He created "Bishwa Natok", a program in Bangladesh Television, where he introduced and directed plays of international fame.[8]

Awards

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "Playwright Sayeed Ahmed no more". The Daily Star. 2010-01-22. Retrieved 2020-08-20.
  2. ^ "15 named for Ekushey Padak-2010". The Daily Star. 2010-02-17. Retrieved 2020-08-20.
  3. ^ "Sayeed Ahmed's second death anniversary observed". The Daily Star. 2012-01-22. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
  4. ^ a b c বরেণ্য নাট্যব্যক্তিত্ব সাঈদ আহমদ আর নেই. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 2010-01-22. Retrieved 2020-08-20.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Ershad Kamol (2010-01-05). "A Versatile Cultural Icon". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
  6. ^ "First Death Anniversary of Sayeed Ahmed Today". The Daily Star. 2011-01-21. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
  7. ^ a b "Sayeed Ahmed: A cultural icon". The Daily Star. 2010-01-22. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
  8. ^ a b "Sayeed Ahmad: An icon in the world of drama". The Daily Star. 2007-11-04. Retrieved 2020-08-21.