Playwright, Teacher, Cultural Activist: Momtazuddin Ahmed

The Report Desk

Published: June 2, 2021, 04:51 PM

Playwright, Teacher, Cultural Activist: Momtazuddin Ahmed

Veteran Bangladeshi playwright Momtazuddin Ahmed passed away on June 2, 2019 succumbing to old-age complications in a hospital in the capital. 

Professor Momtazuddin, one the pioneers of the drama movement was born on January 18, 1935 in Habibpur sub-division of Malda district of West Bengal, India. His family moved to East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) post 1947 partition.

He did his schooling up class Class IV in Malda Aiho Junior School and passed the entrance examination from Bholahat Rameshwar Pilot Model Institution. Subsequently, he obtained his higher secondary certificate from Rajshahi College. Later, he obtained his Honours and Masters in Bengali Language and Literature from Rajshahi University.

Momtazuddin Ahmed holds an extraordinary expertise in composing one-act plays, and taught Bengali language, culture, and European drama in various government and private colleges for more than 32 years. He joined the Department of Bengali at Chittagong College. He then joined as a Professor at the Department of Bengali, Jagannath University. Later, he also taught at the Department of Drama and Music at Dhaka University.

He also worked as an expert in the formulation of the National Curriculum for the year 1976-78. Momtajuddin Ahmed also served as the Director of Research and Publication at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

Although Momtazuddin is known as a teacher and writer, his career was taken to new heights through theater. As an activist in the field of culture, he actively took part in the Bengali language movement, the freedom struggle of Bangladesh. He was also active in the movement to restore democracy in the newly independent Bangladesh.

He was awarded the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1976 and the Ekushey Padak in 1997 for his special contribution in the field of theatre.

Link copied!