As a child who was nurtured in a home where everyone cultivated a daily reading habit and also had the opportunity to grow up listening to bedtime stories, Rabeya Khatun was destined to become a novelist. Mainul Hassan of New Age recently caught up with her to trace the story of the storyteller.
With six decades of sustained literary engagements that made her one of the household names, Rabeya Khatun is still a figure to reckon with. A novelist who began her career in the 1950s, her contribution to Bangla literature cannot be overemphasised. Her creations, ever since her emergence as a writer, caught the imagination of a vast population. Born at a time when Muslim girls were expected to be nothing more than homemakers, Rabeya Khatun took to writing and forged her own path.
Rabeya Khatun was born on December 27, 1935 to Maulavi Mohammad Mulluk Chand and Hamida Khatun in Bikrampur (now in Munshiganj district, Bangladesh). She was second child among her three siblings.
The beliefs and prejudices prevalent in the patriarchal society in her times had not allowed women any freedom of choice. Women were kept confined to their homes and had very little say in the matters of society.
The majority of the girls from Muslim families had little or no access to formal education since schools were few and far between and, additionally, families were disinclined to send female children to school. Girls were taught household chores like cooking, weaving, child rearing etc from a young age and married off as early as possible.
Rabeya Khatun’s elder sister was married off when she was 12.
However, an adamant Rabeya was hell-bent on forging her own path.
She was a rebel from her younger days, who refused to go to sleep at night unless she was told stories. Having born in a household surrounded by loving family members who were fond of reading literature meant all her wishes came true.
‘As a child I loved to listen to stories. After dinner, all the children were sent off to bed but I refused to leave until someone told me a story,’ recalls Rabeya Khatun.
‘At night I would go to my mother, aunts or sister and demand that they told me stories. My elder sister Nurjahan Begum was a good storyteller. She could narrate stories in such a way that one could easily picture the characters and events in one’s mind. I loved to visualise the story more than anything else,’ she continues.
Each storytelling session offered Rabeya the chance to learn something new. Besides fairy tales, there were stories portraying the lives and struggles of common people, satires and others penned by both local and foreign writers during the storytelling sessions.
‘My cousin Majid, who was studying to obtain a master’s degree, used to stay at Muslim Hall. He visited us every Saturday. He would tell us stories penned by leading writers. I came to know about Rabindranath Tagore and William Shakespeare before I read them myself. It was a great emotional experience,’ says Rabeya Khatun.
‘He also encouraged me to send my stories to newspapers for publication after I started writing,’ adds Rabeya Khatun.
The seed of imagination that was sown in her mind in childhood began to sprout as soon as she developed a reading habit.
‘I had already developed a passion for literature during my childhood and after I began reading there was no stopping for me,’ added Rabeya.
By the time she began to attend school, child Rabeya was spending more time reading storybooks than textbooks. At times she would conceal a storybook underneath a textbook to give the false impression that she was studying. Rabeya Khatun would read a lot of books this way as she also continued this habit during her classes at school.
When she was at class four she finished reading Ramer Sumati by Sharat Chandra Chattyapadhyay.
As she grew up, she began observing the flow of life around her and decided to follow in the footsteps of the literary giants who had been her greatest source of inspiration.
It was a time when the literary arena was dominated by writers of West Bengal and female authors were almost non-existent.
‘I was greatly inspired by writings of Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay, Manik Badhyopadhyay and Premendra Mitra,’ she says.
She picked up the pen and began putting down her thoughts on paper when she was 12-13 years old hoping that people will read her stories too.
Though she was a teenager, Rabeya Khatun did not choose romance as the topic for her first story.
Her first story named ‘Proshno’ addressed an important social issue, violence against women, which is still prevalent today. She witnessed violence against women in Old Dhaka and penned the story based on her experience.
Proshno was published in Juger Dabi towards the end of 1940s. It was a dream come true, a golden moment for her.
She also received an honorarium for publishing the story in Maheno when she was student of class five or six.
‘After I received an honorarium of Tk 10, I was overwhelmed with joy. I had no idea that I could earn money by writing,’ recalls Rabeya Khatun.
‘The office Pakistan Radio office was located at Nazimuddin Road. The station used to telecast a programme on stories. I used to read stories on the radio for which I received taka 20. I was greatly inspired by this,’ adds Rabeya.
‘Back then there weren’t many schools or colleges for girls in Dhaka. I had to take permission for going to the radio office from my maternal uncle. I used to go there with Jahanara Imam,’ recalls Rabeya.
She and Jahanara Imam later brought out a magazine for women named Khawatin. However, it was shut down after the publication of two issues.
Rabeya later taught at Siddeswari High School for eight months where Jahanara was a teacher as well.
Rabeya Khatun’s journey as a writer has not been an easy one. She did not receive encouragement from home. To make things worse, the in-laws of her elder sister sent a letter to her father criticising her passion for writing.
However, after her marriage to Fazlul Haque, who was editor of Cinema magazine, on July 23, 1952, Rabeya Khatun was set free of the bondage that so far held her from exploring her passion fully. She could pursue writing freely without any obstruction form this point of time.
She joined Cinema where she worked alongside Zahir Raihan. Quayyum Chowdhury used to do drawings for the magazine.
‘While working at Cinema, she met Shamsur Rahman, Abdur Gaffar Chowdhury, Syed Haq and others, who used to visit the office for submitting writings. It was a place which celebrated creativity,’ says Rabeya Khatun.
Rabeya Khatun penned short stories, stories for juveniles, memoirs, travelogues and more. She has been witnessing the world through her eyes and putting her thoughts down on paper, portraying struggles of the marginalised, oppression suffered by the weak, human relationship, rustic and urban life, scenic beauty, liberation war of Bangladesh and others.
Her debut novel Modhumoti was published in 1963. The novel revolves around the struggles of weavers living on the bank of Modhumoti river. It gives the readers a glimpse into the construction of the social fabric of the time along with how weavers are exploited by influential people in society. The novel was a huge success. It catapulted her to stardom overnight and she became a household name.
After Modhumoti, she made her mark in Bangla literary scene by writing novels like Shaheb Bazar, Mon Ek Shet Kapoti, Pherari Shurjo, Anekjoner Ekjon, Jibaner Arek Naam, Dibash Rajani, Mohor Ali, Shei Ek Basantey, Pakhi Shob Korey Rob, Neel Nishit, Bayanno Golir Ek Goli and others.
Rabeya Khatun has visited many countries across the globe including UK, the USA, France, Australia, Russia, Sweden, Japan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Switzerland and others to take part in literary events and to savour the beauty people and nature.
She shared her experiences of visiting the countries in Bideshi Bhor, Mohomoyi Bangkok, Thames Theke Niagara, Kumari Natir Desher, Himalay Thekey Arab Shagorey, Kicchu Diner Canada and others.
Memoirs penned by Rabeya Khatun include Ekattur-er Smriti Katha, Swapner Shahar Dhaka and Chokher Jol Porlo Mone.
The juvenile books penned by Rabeya Khatun are Duhsahasik Obhijan, Sumon O Mithur Golpo, Roboter Chokh Neel, Raktimukhi Shila Pahar, Titumirer Bansher Kella, Ekaturrer Nishan, Shukhi Rajar Compo, Sona Holud Piramider Khoje and others.
‘Of all the things, I enjoy writing the most. It fills my heart with profound happiness and gives me unparalleled joy. That is why I have been writing all this years,’ says Rabeya Khatun.
‘While writing books, I never discriminated between male or female. In my eyes, both are equal. I tried to write about people and their lives regardless of their background,’ she adds.
A number of her works have been adapted into films namely Fazlul Haque directed President (1966), Chashi Nazrul Islam directed Dhrubotara (2003) and Megherporey Megh (2004), Moushumi directed Kokhono Megh Kokhono Brishti (2003), Shahjahan Chowdhurt directed Modhumoti (2010) and Taher Shipon directed Ekatturer Nishan (2017). Besides, countless of her works had been adapted into teleplays and drama series.
Fazlul Haque and Rabeya Khatun have four children. Eldest son Faridur Reza Sagar is the managing director of Channel-i, Keka Ferdousi is a culinary expert, Farhadur Reza Probal is an architect and Farhana Kakoly is a homemaker.
When asked how she strikes a balance between writing and her duties as a homemaker, Rabeya Khatun replies, ‘It is all about following a routine. I used to cook until 11:00 am and send the children to schools. After that, I used to sit with pen and paper and write till 3:00 pm. Besides, I regularly studied at night.’
For her contribution to Bangla literature Rabeya Khatun received Ekushey Padak (1993) and Independence Award (2017).
Besides, she received Bangla Academy Literary Award (1973), Humayun Kadir Memorial Award (1989), Kamar Mushtaree Shahitya Puroshkar (1994), Lekhika Sangha Award (1994), Nasiruddin Gold Medal (1995), Shere-e Bangla Gold Medal (1996), Jasimuddin Award (1996), Shapla-Doyel Award (1996), Wrishiz Shahitya Padak (1998) Sheltech Award (2002), Uro Shishu Shahitya Award (2003)Michael Madhusudan Award (2005), Gettanjali Shommanona Padak (2015) and others.
When asked whether she has any advice for the upcoming writers, Rabeya Khatun says, ‘A writer must read a lot. Reading helps a person hone his/her skills. They must never rush to publish their work. One must remember that name and fame cannot be earned overnight.’
Photos by Sony Ramany