Jasimuddin

Jasimuddin (Bengali: জসীম উদ্‌দীন) (1 January 1903 – 14 March 1976), popularly called Palli Kabi (Pastoral Poet), was a Bangladeshi poet, lyricist, composer and writer widely celebrated for his modern ballad sagas in the pastoral mode. His Nakshi Kanthar Math and Sojan Badiar Ghat are considered among the best lyrical poems in the Bengali language. He is the key figure for the revivals of pastoral literature in Bengal during the 20th century. A versatile writer, Jasimuddin wrote poems, ballads, songs, dramas, novel, stories, memoirs, travelogues, etc.Born in Faridpur, Jasimuddin was educated at Culcutta University where he also worked as Ramtanu Lahiri assistant research fellow under Dinesh Chandra Sen from 1931 to 1937. In 1938, he joined the University of Dhaka and taught there for 5 years. In 1944, he joined the Department of Information and Broadcasting of the then government and retired in 1962."An ardent supporter of socialism" and Bengali language movement, Jasimuddin was "one of the pioneers of the progressive and non-communal cultural movement" during 1950s and 1960s. He was awarded the President's Award for Pride of Performance in 1958, Ekushey Padak in 1976 and Swadhinata Dibas Puruskar posthumously in 1978. He rejected Bangla Academy Award in 1974.In January, 2018, Bangla Academy announced Jasimuddin Literary Award, a biennial award to be given for life-time contribution to Bangla literature.